Podcasts and audio

Why do some towns and cities grow and expand, with associated housing costs rising, while others languish with an oversupply of housing?

The economic research institute Motu has just released the fourth and final paper in a series, funded by the Building Better National Science Challenge, looking at the drivers of urban development, using census data for 132 towns and cities from 1976 to 2013. The data includes wages, rents, and population size in each place.

Senior Fellow at Motu and Building Better Principal Investigator Dr Arthur Grimes says there is a disconnect between firms and businesses that want to be based in larger cities, while many residents are attracted to smaller places with less congestion and the lower costs of living.

The cost of building new housing rises as population increases in a city. Photo: Chris Gray on Unsplash.

The community housing sector is ready and waiting to construct nearly 3000 homes but desperately needs public cash to get building. Housing providers have submitted their projects to the government in a bid to get investment through the 'shovel ready' infrastructure project. RNZ housing reporter Eva Corlett talks with Dr Bev James.

A new Research Bulletin has found that some essential workers are dealing with overcrowding at home. The Building Better Affordable Housing for Generations team has found that while essential workers are out serving the nation they're putting their children, partners, or housemates at risk due to a lack of space. Team co-leader Dr Kay Saville-Smith spoke to Mani Dunlop on RNZ Midday Report about the findings.

Among essential worker households in rentals, 13 percent are crowded while a further 39 percent are not crowded but have no spare bedroom. Photo: Jonathan Borba from Pexels.

The Hon Minister Nanaia Mahuta opened an event at Te Puea Memorial Marae, to celebrate the publication of research and educational resources based on the Manaaki Tangata Programme that has cared for homeless whanau since 2016. Waatea News radio discusses the research with Building Better researcher Rau Hoskins.

Some members of Building Better's Te Manaaki o Te Marae research team at Te Puea Memorial Marae, from left Anaru Waa, Rau Hoskins, Professor Jenny Lee-Morgan, Rihi Te Nana, Professor Linda Smith, and Reuben Smiler.

Dr Rebecca Kiddle from Victoria University's School of Architecture talks about Third Spaces and her Where do we dance? project for Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities.

Where do we dance? Photo: Rebecca Kiddle.

Waatea News interviews Dr Amanda Yates about her research for Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities (BBHTC) Ko Nga wa Kainga hei Whakamahorahora National Science Challenge. New Zealand could be positioned to lead the world by developing a first-ever Mauri ora or "all-of-life" urban wellbeing data tool and framework, according to Amanda's recently published research.

This podcast focuses on a papakāinga (settlement of homes and associated environment) in Ahipara where the whānau of Rueben Taipari (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāi Tuhoe) are building a papakāinga of muka-reinforced, cement-stabilised rammed earth homes – or whare uku – on Rueben’s ancestral whānau whenua. Dr Rebecca Kiddle talks to Rueben, his wife, Heeni Hoterene (Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāi Tahu) and their tamariki to understand the everyday realities of life on the papakāinga. Rebecca also talks to Dr Helen Potter, a researcher working alongside the whānau to tell their story in an upcoming book on Māori Housing being produced by the Kāinga Tahi, Kāinga Rua research programme.

Rueben Taipari and whānau at their papakāinga, Ahipara. Photo: Desna Whaanga-Schollum.

Building papakāinga in urban settings where land is expensive and in short supply, is the focus of today’s papakāinga. Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei have been grappling with exactly these questions on their Orākei whenua. Dr Rebecca Kiddle explores with Anahera Rawiri from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, alongside researchers Rau Hoskins and Irene Kereama-Royal, the notion of a ‘vertical papakāinga’. They have been working to understand whether this apartment housing typology fits well with the ways that Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei have historical lived and how they want to live in the future. This innovative exploration builds on their existing papakāinga development that draws on medium density housing typologies to use land efficiently and house as many of their whanau as possible.

Concept design for vertical papakāinga. Image: Design Tribe Architects.

This podcast sees Desna Whaanga Schollum and Becky Kiddle travel to Rauawaawa Kaumatua Charitable Trust to talk with the CEO, Rangimahora Reddy, and the Project Manager for Housing at Ngā Rau Tātangi Māori Housing Foundation, Yvonne Wilson, about their kaumatua housing developments and the research work they’ve been undertaking evaluating the housing programme. We also got to speak with three kaumatua, Patihana Takuira-Mita, Clark Takiari, and Daisy Haimona Upokomanu - all living in housing as part of these developments - to ask what they thought of their new whare.

Housing Kaumatua. Daisy Haimona Upokomanu outside her Hamilton whare. Photo: Desna Whaanga-Schollum.

This podcast focuses on an exciting new research project that has been undertaken by Jacqueline Paul, Maia Ratana, and James Burghan on rangatahi housing experiences. Māori make up a relatively young and fast-growing share of the working-age population in Aotearoa/New Zealand. According to 2013 census data, the median age of the Māori population was 23.4 years, compared with 38.0 years for New Zealanders in general. There were 127,600 Māori aged 15-24 years in the 2013 census. Māori aged 15-24 made up 19 per cent of the Māori population. The decisions made today about our Māori housing futures will have particular impact on the generations to come. Yet how are rangatahi Māori adding their voices to current housing debates? We talk to the three researchers about their mahi, which focused around three wānanga in Kaikohe, Auckland, and Dunedin. Their findings focus on both the experiences and aspirations of rangatahi Māori with respect to housing alongside reflections on appropriate methods for undertaking research with rangatahi.

Kāinga Tahi, Kāinga Rua Principal Investigator Jenny Lee-Morgan talks on air about her team's research and why the work being done at Te Puea Memorial Marae is successful at getting people off the streets for good.

Te Puea manaakitanga tangata kaimahi - core team led by Hurimoana Dennis. Photo: The Treehouse Creative.

While plans are being made for the future of Christchurch's red zone, one researcher is keen to ensure the area's past is not forgotten. Radio New Zealand Morning Report interview with Canterbury University's Donald Matheson. Donald is a researcher in Building Better's contestable research project called Understanding Place, and has developed an app that enables people to upload videos of themselves talking about parts of the red zone that are special to them.

New research reveals what makes our towns and cities good places to live and do business - but we can't always have both. Kathryn Ryan talks to Building Better's Principal Investigator on the Supporting success in regional settlements team, Arthur Grimes.

Dr Kay Saville-Smith discusses the burgeoning renters sector, predicting that in 20 years' time more than half of those over 65 will be renting - and even now many are turning to flatting.

Podcast from Indigenous Urbanism: Jade Kake interviews Building Better Homes, Towns & Cities Kāinga Tahi, Kāinga Rua researcher, Rau Hoskins. "On this episode of Indigenous Urbanism, we travel to Tāmaki Makaurau, our largest city, to look at how Māori designers are working alongside mana whenua to re-shape the city to better reflect their unique identity and culture and to create a distinctive sense of place that benefits us all."

Smaller housing developers are being locked out by bureaucracy costs, and experts say the government must connect people with expertise so affordable housing, particularly for Māori, can be built. Listen to Building Better researcher Ella Henry from the Shaping Places: Future Neighbourhoods team talking Māori affordable housing this week on Radio New Zealand's Nine to Noon programme:

Photo: RNZ, Claire Eastham-Farrelly.

Professor Laurence Murphy says relying on simply building more houses is not an effective pathway to generating affordable housing as the market is very good at producing market prices. He discusses the challenges of Special Housing Areas with Grant Walker on NBR Radio.

Dr Kay Saville- Smith was interviewed on Radio New Zealand's Nine to Noon programme about New Zealand's hidden homes :

To read the report, please download the PDF: ADU Potential: Have we the potential to use our existing stock of homes to create a bigger stock of affordable, fit for purpose homes?

For all queries, please contact Kay Saville-Smith,  Centre for Research, Evaluation & Social Assessment (CRESA)

To listen to Arthur Grimes Giving sunshine a price tag interview on Radio New Zealand's Nine to Noon programme, with Kathryn Ryan, please click play below: