Te Tai Tokerau / Northern Aoteoroa New Zealand – Research Reports

Community Land Trusts (CLTs) have delivered positive benefits across urban regeneration projects; have mitigated some of the negative impacts of gentrification and of market uncertainty and volatility; have made good use of publicly-owned land for affordable housing; have provided pathways to ownership opportunities; and have engaged residents and supported community capacity building.

Being able to affordably heat the home and access other essential energy services is a challenge faced by many New Zealand households. Outdoor temperatures (proxied) expectedly play a role and so do seasons. But stand-alone dwellings and larger dwellings are associated with higher energy expenditures. Households in rental dwellings also tend to have higher energy expenditures. Household income is also a statistically significant predictor of household energy expenditures, but lower income households in smaller dwellings may not reduce their energy expenditure in the same way as other households.

The Department of Building and Housing in 2008 showed build to demonstrate that low-cost housing could be built at less than $1,500/m2. Minimising construction cost is crucial, but house price increases meant that the Starter Home is less and less affordable. 39 percent of local renting households could affordably buy it in 2011 but only 23 percent in 2023. In 2011 purchase would have required 42 percent of the local median household income. By 1 June 2023, purchasing the Starter Home would have committed 77 percent of median household income on mortgage repayment.

The Zero Waste Network and Manaaki Whenua teamed up to research organics processing systems in New Zealand, including conducting a national survey of operators. The report Scaling-up, scaling-out & branching-out: Understanding & procuring diverse organic materials management models in Aotearoa New Zealand - summarises the findings. The report adds to current understanding of the scale, scope and nature of organics collectors and processors across Aotearoa, with a focus on composters. It is primarily designed to support those at central and local government charged with making investment and procurement decisions in relation to the infrastructure and services for collecting and processing organic materials. The national survey of operators showed a lot of diversity in the sector so, to help decision-makers navigate the options for organics materials services, the report develops a shared language to talk about different operating models, presenting this in a simple taxonomy that distinguishes operators based on factors most relevant to procurability and scaleability. This taxonomy is then used to explore the various challenges, impacts and outcomes for each type of operator. The research was funded by Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities National Science Challenge, and the Zero Waste Network.

Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities National Science Challenge - He Kainga Whakamana Tangata, Whakamana Taiao recognizes the importance of community knowledge in the development of effective housing solutions. With over 75% of their research partners being Māori and members of communities impacted by current housing challenges, BBHTC has been able to access a unique depth of knowledge and understanding that traditional Westernised research has never been able to acquire. This insight has inspired the creation of innovative, sustainable housing solutions that prioritise the well-being of both people and the environment. At a recent National Māori Housing Conference, BBHTC Tangata Whenua co-chair, Rihi Te Nana, highlighted the amazing impact of community-led kaupapa Māori research. Representatives at the conference were encouraged to explore bold and innovative ways to share their research with the wider community.

Maia Ratana speaks to Julian Wilcox of Mapuna RNZ about her experience on building a tiny home on wheels as a way to provide a kainga for her whanau. She also talks about the realities that face rangatahi māori when it comes to the current housing market and how this can be a viable option for people looking for home security.

He Whare Mō Wai? is a by rangatahi, for rangatahi podcast and video series hosted by Jacqueline Paul, Maia Ratana, Hanna-Marie Monga and Pania Newton. He Whare Mō Wai? creates a space for rangatahi to share stories, advice, and aspirations for kāinga across Aotearoa and to inspire others who wish to pursue their housing dreams. In this series, we kōrero with rangatahi and experts about navigating home ownership, renting, finance, mortgages, homelessness, and more.

This paper aims to explore what can be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic about adaptable, functional housing design that supports seniors’ resilience. This paper considers how physical and design features enable seniors to stay safe, develop coping strategies, give and receive care and maintain social connections.

This report investigates programmes or requirements in other countries on the maintenance of residential dwellings to ascertain if these incentives and programmes are useful in a New Zealand context. It uses a web-based literature review undertaken from November 2020 to October 2021. Although designers, builders, purchasers, product suppliers, and politicians frequently focus on construction costs...

The Kāinga Tahi, Kāinga Rua Kaupapa Māori Research Project draws on expertise from across the Māori housing sector. The project responds to the right and aspiration of Māori researchers, in collaboration with Māori organisations and communities, to develop Māori housing solutions. The outputs of the Kaupapa Māori Research Project include a book Kāinga Tahi, Kāinga Rua: Māori Housing Realities...

Launched on 2 November 2022 at the Moa Crescent Kaumātua village in Kirikiriroa (Hamilton) this booklet is an information resource to promote better housing for our ageing population. It presents BBHTC/Ageing Well research exploring why changes are needed to our housing system, looks at some imaginative opportunities and shares the housing experiences and aspirations of kaumātua and seniors...

This report presents a case study of the trade-offs that one community housing provider (CHP) made in procuring new-built stock, with a focus on how consideration of residents’ needs and perspectives is factored into their decision-making. The practices of consulting with, understanding, and reflecting residents’ perspectives have become central to the management practices of many not-for-profit...

In this paper, Building Better researchers Dr Nick Taylor, from Nick Taylor and Associates, and Dr Mike Mackay, from AgResearch, have developed a comprehensive practical guideline to Social Impact Assessment (SIA) to help councils and community groups learn the basics about how to conduct an SIA, contribute to an SIA, use the results of an SIA, and judge if an SIA is fit for purpose. . .

One of the main challenges facing non-metropolitan regions is convincing highly educated young people to move into their area and then keeping them. This research tests whether students from different types of institution and from different fields of study decide to live in places that are regarded as fun or in places that are good to do business. Graduates from all fields of study other than agriculture...

Using a national housing assessment survey and information on housing tenure, this paper explores the distribution of a range of indicators of housing condition, comparing between owned and rented stock. On average across Aotearoa New Zealand, rental dwellings are more likely to be in a poorer state of repair and experience higher rates of visible mould than owner-occupied dwellings.

This paper explores how spatial governance models oriented to the well-being of the more-than-human might better enable Indigenous peoples' capacity to live-well-with and care for our more-than-human whanaunga (kin). The paper considers how a culture of holistic ecological well-being might be spatially emplaced through well-being-led planning tools that ground these ontologies in neighbourhoods, cities. . .

Māori died at seven times the national rate during the 1918–1919 influenza pandemic. Government officials noted what they described as the shocking housing conditions experienced by Māori. Despite the connections between Māori health and housing being apparent, the interwar years saw little government response. From the late 1950s and through the 1960s, Māori were able to access...

Māori Housing Providers are relatively new to social and affordable housing supply and management. As capacity and capability is now strengthening, there is a strong will for Māori agencies to respond to Māori needs. The new providers are keen to assist, recognising that to Māori a home is more than a house. Māori seek spiritual, emotional and cultural identity connections to the land...

In the 2020 budget, almost $2.4 billion was allocated to the provision of the Accommodation Supplement. There have been substantial increases in Government expenditure on accommodation supplements over the last twenty-five years. Even so, many households in Aotearoa New Zealand face significant affordability problems. It is estimated that 361,000 households in 2019 were in housing affordability stress...

This paper describes a method for delineating functional labour market areas (LMAs) in national commuting networks. Identifying functional, rather than administrative, LMAs is important for analysing spatial patterns of economic activity. Functional boundaries capture the geography of interactions among employers and employees, whereas administrative boundaries typically ignore such interactions...

One of the main challenges facing non-metropolitan regions is the attraction and retention of highly-educated young people. A loss of the brightest can lead to reduced business creation, innovation, growth and community wellbeing in such regions. The researchers use rich longitudinal microdata from New Zealand’s integrated administrative data infrastructure to analyse the determinants and geography of the choice...

This Counterfutures journal article by Dr Rebecca Kiddle says a successful engagement process empowers communities by acknowledging their mātauranga (place-based knowledge), and by taking the time to build strong relationships that can form the base of all future engagement. Specifically, there is a range of things agencies and those doing the engaging could do. These include: engaging with communities early...

Looking at housing for essential workers is important to protect our communities in the future because pandemics are likely to be more prevalent. During the COVID-19 lockdown in Aotearoa New Zealand, research was done on the housing of essential workers. This bulletin highlights that a substantial number of these workers are dealing with affordability stress and some are experiencing...

In conversational interviews, 27 Māori were asked what makes a house a home for whānau Māori and how housing supports whānau ora. The analysis is guided by the way the social and material environment is the source of self-identity. For Māori, this material environment extends beyond the four walls of a home and into the whenua, in acknowledgement of the importance of place for a sense of belonging. . .

Aotearoa New Zealand is building more homes now than it has in the last 45 years. This is critical to make up the housing supply deficit of recent years. While more new houses are going up, they’re not necessarily ones that middle and low-income New Zealanders can afford, leaving the housing affordability crisis unresolved. It is well established that New Zealand’s building industry...

A dwelling that is priced higher than its residents can afford is no longer a place of comfort and security but an arena of material struggle. It is associated with under-investment in many of the goods and services that generate wellbeing. It contracts rather than expands life chances, and makes social, cultural, and economic participation precarious. This publication brings together...

In this book chapter, BBHTC researchers examine the modelling of gross inter-urban migration flows in Aotearoa New Zealand. They identify a range of geographic, demographic, economic, and climatic characteristics of urban areas, which are statistically significant determinants of migration. The researchers argue that in a small but open population such as New Zealand...

This paper estimates the impact local cultural diversity has on city wage and rent premiums, and whether diversity is a source of local production and/or consumption of amenities. The researchers find that the presence of people from different cultural backgrounds enhances the profitability of urban firms. In contrast, a city’s population has a weak preference for living near others who are culturally like...

Research about walkable neighbourhoods is commonly based on the notion of an adult able-bodied walker. However, people have different physical, social, cultural, emotional, and financial abilities and resources to navigate the neighbourhood landscape. This diversity should be recognised at design and planning stages, along with the recognition that the resident population of a neighbourhood is not static...

This report complements ‘Activating Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) for healthy, resilient communities’ research that aims to enhance capability and to address current barriers to the uptake of WSUD. It explores how WSUD in Aotearoa New Zealand values, recognises, and provides for Te Ao Māori and how it could do better. It shares experiences and knowledge of the authors to help integrate Māori. . .

This paper asks how an indigenous-Māori cultural perspective might expand wellbeing discourse with positive effect for wellbeing-led governance. It attends to mauri ora as an indigenous wellbeing construct. For Māori, ora is life, health, and wellbeing, while mauri is that interpenetrating life force which is “immanent in all things, knitting and bonding them together” as a life-field. . .

Water sensitive urban design (WSUD) is often perceived as an expensive option for stormwater management in both the long and short term. This research looks at the implications of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management on the costs of WSUD and explores drivers and misconceptions around cost and maintenance. It also investigates the cost burden across the full life cycle. . .

Australia has substantial experience in Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD), Melbourne is home to Australia’s Co-operative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities (CRCWSC) as well as agencies that have world-leading experience in the implementation of WSUD. A team of three researchers visited Melbourne in November 2018. As well as meeting researchers and practitioners from. . .

Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) is an alternative to conventional forms of urban development, integrating urban planning and water management to better manage, for example, water supply security, water quality in natural waterbodies, flood risk, and amenity values of waterbodies. The ‘Activating WSUD for healthy, resilient communities’ research programme initially focused on a series of. . .

This paper offers a strategy for gathering and analysing large-scale data. The aim is to understand how Māori might better fulfil aspirations for the designing, financing, and building of housing, as well as perceptions of housing and papakāinga, and the contribution this has to Māori wellbeing. The researchers say a study of this kind will contribute new knowledge and better understanding of Māori...

The potential benefits of water sensitive urban design (WSUD) usually include better hydrology and water quality and healthier aquatic ecosystems. However, assessments of the benefits of WSUD that focus solely on these water-related outcomes are incomplete in scope. WSUD has the potential to deliver a wide range of other environmental and social co-benefits. This paper suggests WSUD should be. . .

There are significant challenges in securing funds for stormwater managers to address the costs of operating and maintaining desired levels of service, and for planning future growth while meeting community aspirations for the quality of the environment. This report documents Aotearoa New Zealand and Australian case studies and also highlights commonalities and lessons learnt. . .

This report describes the More Than Water (MTW) assessment tool, developed for evaluating the benefits and costs of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) projects. The name of the tool reflects the notion that WSUD can deliver multiple co-benefits and cost-related advantages, in addition to more familiar considerations associated with management of the hydrological and water quality effects. . .

The NZ Productivity Commission’s 2012 report suggested the building industry has largely stopped building in the lower value segments of the housing market. This research bulletin suggests an explanation is the significant withdrawal of government capital assistance and investment in affordable housing. Although there has been a re-introduction of income related rents for state housing...

Aggregate under-supply of new dwellings has been cited as a major contributor to New Zealand’s high house prices, falling owner occupation, and increasing numbers of households burdened with unaffordable housing. Central and local government have sought to encourage new-builds and the release of land for residential purposes. But this is not having a substantial impact on the supply of affordable...

Models of land administration often promote a more individualised, Western-style of tenure. The dangers are that Māori values might become diluted or even lost in this transition as social responsibilities become divorced from land rights. Recognising this, planners of some Māori land development projects have sought to reintroduce key communal or socially-based tenure principles to the planning equation...

This report describes the findings of Phase 1 of the ‘Activating Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) for healthy, resilient communities project’ and makes recommendations for research activities in Phase 2. The researchers find there is a need to review management of the urban water cycle in New Zealand. Specifically, the capacity of current approaches to meet the reasonably foreseeable future. . .

This research focuses on four scenarios designed to trigger debate about plausible future transport systems. The research used workshops, discussion, and stakeholder consultation to develop four scenarios between two uncertainty axes (automation and consumption). The four scenarios are: Custom Cocoons, Mode Nomads, Amped Autos, and Active Scouts. Fundamentally, it asks. . .

This document supports forward-planning, additional research initiatives, and public consultation by transport officials and other relevant stakeholders by summarizing a pilot policy scan of national autonomous vehicle regulation and initiatives. It explores concerns influencing contemporary government policies. Three are shared internationally: safety and ethics, liability and insurance, and policy for ageing...

Aggregate undersupply of new dwellings has been cited as contributing to New Zealand's high house prices, falling owner occupation and increasing numbers of households burdened with unaffordable housing. While central and local government are encouraging new builds and the release of land for residential purposes, high numbers of residential new builds are not affordable housing...

This paper explores the strategies being developed by Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities: He Kāinga Whakamana Tangata, Whakamana Taiao (BBHTC). BBHTC is taking an innovative approach to Māori research and development, operating across academic, cultural, and social sectors. The paper presents a model for conducting research with and for Māori, that is empowering and mutually...

‘Urban’ is defined in relation to the characteristics of a town or city. ‘Wa Kainga’ in Māori is also known as a home. In a wider context papakainga is also used generally in the sense of traditionally Māori village-type living which has been integrated into more modern-day living. This research project aims to explore the potential of papakainga or wa kainga and understand how it can contribute...

This report from the 2017 Passive and Low Energy Architecture (PLEA) Conference looks at architecture and urban design as pivotal factors in successfully engaging with and solving the issues of population aging and environmental sustainability. Three big challenges were identified: the stigmatisation of aging; that fully supporting diversity requires involving more disciplines in urban design...

New Zealand faces three conundrums in relation to its housing stock and the new builds which replenish it. The first is persistent under-supply of housing both in the aggregate and, more particularly, housing affordable to people and households on lower and middle incomes. The second, is misalignment between the new built stock typology and functionality in relation to the needs of...