CHA-IMACT conference The 2017 Community Housing Aotearoa IMPACT conference was the biggest yet for the sector that is leading much of the change happening in social housing.There were around 300 people at Te Papa in Wellington and the atmosphere was vibrant and full of ideas for building homes and communities. This reflects the reality of…
There was “robust engagement with political leaders” on the issues of housing, refugees and social investment, says Anglican Archbishop Philip Richardson, when church leaders met with the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett in May. The church leaders at the meeting together with Archbishop Richardson, were Baptist Leader Daniel Palmer, Roman Catholic Cardinal…
Scoop.co.nz is hosting an interactive HiveMind exploration on the topic of housing affordability. This is an opportunity for you to think about and share your perspectives on this issue and what, if anything, needs to be done. HiveMind runs until 9th July on the Scoop website. The Scoop ‘Polis’ method lets you have your say…
The first debate of the election year will ask political parties what they are doing to ensure all New Zealanders live in warm, dry, affordable homes. Hosted by Community Housing Aotearoa, Te Matapihi, Salvation Army, NZ Council of Christian Social Services, Platform and Prefab NZ the debate will focus on what is required to end…
Media release 19 May 2017 Housing security essential for healthy communities Representative church leaders have met with the Prime Minister and Government ministers to ask for more action in the areas of immigration, housing and social investment. Their views are influenced by the experience of their church congregations and church based social agencies in most…
New laws and rules have been in place since July 2016 that aim to make rental housing better and safer for those who living there. The Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) has been changed and for the first time in this country there are minimum standards coming into force for all rental housing that require smoke…
Many lives, especially those of young children, would be saved if we had decent standards for rental housing in New Zealand. It is good news that the Government is finally doing something but proposed new laws set the standards too low to make any real difference. The Government has now brought a draft law into…
NZCCSS calls for more social housing and a right to housing There are many thousands of people in very severe housing need right now, sleeping in cars, garages, over-crowded homes or sleeping rough. Every day social service agencies are working with people affected by severe housing need. Urgent and substantial action is needed to meet…
There is concern about the very wide powers being granted to Government Ministers to sell off Housing NZ homes under legislation before Parliament. The Social Housing (Transaction Mandate) Bill is being promoted by the Government as a procedural Bill to help achieve the goal of transferring Housing NZ houses to non-government organisations as part of…
Residential tenancy laws are being revised but will not include a full warrant of fitness (WoF) for housing, which Deputy Prime Minister Bill English rejected as “extreme”. The initial outlines for proposed changes released in July show only very limited improvements in tenant rights. Legislation is being drafted and was expected to be in Parliament during…
(based on address to a forum at St Matthews-in-the-City on 31st August 2015) There is so much going on, so much to say about housing in this country, it is hard to know where to start. But I want to start at the place where the divine meets the ordinary. We are in a church,…