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Research and Policy

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• Online version - New Zealand Housing Strategy
  • Online version - New Zealand Housing Strategy - Foreword
  • Building the Future
  • Programme of Action
  • Area 1 - Sustainable Housing Supply
  • Area 2 - Assistance and Affordability
  • Area 3 - Homeownership
  • Area 4 - Private Rental Sector
  • Area 5 - Housing Quality
  • Area 6 - Sector Capability
  • Area 7 - Meeting Diverse Needs
  • Appendices - Principles
  • Appendices - Glossary and Acronyms

Research and Policy

Area 5 - Housing Quality

Government has a role in encouraging quality housing by regulating housing quality, establishing housing standards and providing guidance through using best practice in its own projects. Appropriate solutions that improve the quality of New Zealand's housing stock should not affect home affordability. Government has an interest in understanding the nature and volume of poor quality housing. The promotion of environmentally sustainable housing is also important.

Raising the quality of New Zealand's new and older housing stock is important to Government. It will do this by updating regulatory frameworks and housing standards, implementing initiatives focused on energy efficiency and housing related health matters, and encouraging innovation in design and development.

Housing Quality
The long-term social and economic costs of poor quality housing mean that investing in good quality housing has wider benefits, such as better health outcomes. There are benefits to society and the national economy if homeowners, tenants and lenders can rely on good quality, well-maintained and durable housing.

Many individual householders and industry professionals see opportunities for improving the quality of some of New Zealand's present housing. Care must be taken, however, to ensure that efforts to improve housing quality do not decrease affordability and availability, especially for those groups that are least well off.

One response is the Healthy Housing Programme, a partnership between Housing New Zealand Corporation and District Health Boards to reduce risk of disease through housing modifications and facilitating referrals to health and social service providers. Initiatives such as the Rural Housing Programme, a Housing New Zealand Corporation programme to eliminate substandard housing in parts of New Zealand, are also aimed at addressing serious deficiencies in some existing housing.

Ongoing modernisation of state housing will ensure the state housing stock meets present and future tenants' needs. This will be achieved by identifying, prioritising and undertaking work to improve the health and safety, amenity, functionality and efficiency of existing stock to appropriate defined standards.

There are also supply issues around preservation and/or improvement of existing housing stock.  In particular, low-income homeowners may find maintaining their home hard, particularly those who have bought at the lower end of the market (typified by lower quality housing). Lack of maintenance and a subsequent deterioration in the condition and value of the property will make homeownership for some unsustainable.

Some of New Zealand's older housing is highly sought after and perceived as worthy of upgrading to meet modern expectations. Examples include character villas and state houses of the 1940s and 50s, which were typically built to high standards using materials such as native timbers that are not readily available today. New homes form only a small proportion of a total housing stock comprising approximately 1.3 million dwellings.

While some financial assistance is available to low-income homeowners for essential repairs and maintenance, this is an area that needs to be explored.

Housing Standards
Expectations have changed over time, with successive generations demanding higher standards and a better quality of life. Each generation upgrades its housing expectations with respect to housing size, quality and amenity. While legislated standards such as the Housing Improvement Regulations 1947 under the Health Act 1956 provide minimum standards, they do not clearly define what makes an acceptable quality home. The Building Code sets out society's expectations for new buildings and new building work on existing houses.

The housing standards work programme has four phases:

• the implementation of the Building Act 2004, including a full review of the Building Code
• the Department of Building and Housing leading work with Housing New Zealand Corporation and Local Government New Zealand to address enforcement and compliance issues relating to the existing standards and new standards under the Building Act 2004
• Statistics New Zealand working with Housing New Zealand Corporation and the Department of Building and Housing to design and administer a housing condition survey
• a review of the adequacy of legislation and regulations governing the standards required of existing buildings, which will be informed by the findings of the housing condition survey.

The Building Act 2004 lists as one of its purposes that buildings are designed, constructed and able to be used in ways that promote sustainable development. A review of standards for new building work is underway through the review of the Building Code. The review will consider the implications of this purpose for standards in the Building Code, including standards for high-density residential dwellings.

The review of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 is considering the benefits of requiring rental properties to meet certain standards.

Buildings, Energy and the Environment
Energy efficient houses are healthier for occupants. They also have a reduced environmental impact and cost less to maintain comfortable temperatures than houses that are poorly insulated. In addition, the location of houses, their materials, design, use and maintenance all contribute to sustainable use of resources, and energy efficiency.

Government initiatives such as the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy (NEECS) and the Warm Homes Project consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of housing. Administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), that Strategy is improving the energy efficiency of New Zealand's houses through tangible programmes such as EECA's EnergyWise Home Grants and Housing New Zealand Corporation's Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme. The Warm Homes Project will consider ways to improve home energy efficiency and comfort.

Design and Development
Homes of the future could provide greater diversity and flexibility of size and design, lower ongoing maintenance and lifecycle costs, and incorporate more sustainable materials and building techniques.

In recent years, a more diverse range of housing types has emerged, especially with the rise of apartment and medium density developments in larger cities. Some of the new designs, such as Mediterranean-style homes with monolithic cladding, have been shown to be poorly suited to New Zealand's moist climate. This has prompted concern over a wider range of quality matters.

The Building Act 2004 aims to improve control of, and encourage better practice in, design and construction so that buildings are designed and built right the first time. Some industry analysts believe that low cost does not have to mean poor quality, but requires more innovative design and use of materials. There is a desire for design and materials suited to New Zealand's environment and place in the Pacific.

"…a house should live up to certain requirements resulting in quality. The first and foremost requirement is sustainability in every aspect of the house: its location, purpose, materials, energy efficiency, self-sufficiency, durability, availability and affordability"

The New Zealand Urban Design Protocol identifies the importance of linking well designed housing of all types to the wider context of the surrounding area. Housing location needs to be considered up-front as part of any quality house design process, taking into account how the house connects to its street, the wider neighbourhood, access to different forms of transport, location of community facilities and nearby activities.

A high profile design competition run by Housing New Zealand Corporation during the Year of the Built Environment 2005 is an opportunity to encourage designers, architects and urban planners to explore new design ideas, and to prompt public and professional debate on how social housing issues can be addressed in new ways through quality urban design and architecture.

Staging and Priorities
One of the issues to be considered is the balance between quality standards and the cost of new requirements, including enforcement. While raising standards may add to capital value benefiting homeowners and investors, it could also reduce affordability.

Taken together, the Strategy's set of initiatives for the short and medium term will raise the standard of housing and building in New Zealand. Government (local and central) will have an important role in informing and educating the housing sector about these changes. The balance between enforcement and education is likely to shift during the course of the Strategy, as new standards become the norm.

Housing quality initiatives combine a range of activities to improve the regulatory framework governing housing quality, strengthen consumer protection mechanisms, raise the standard of existing rental and owner-occupied housing, and encourage new design and development that provides sustainable homes for future generations.

In the short term, the emphasis will be on:

• implementing the Building Act 2004 and reviewing the Building Code
• strengthening provisions relating to the quality of rental housing in the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, where appropriate

• improving dispute resolution and advice services for people who use building and housing products and services

• a design competition as part of the Year of the Built Environment 2005
• continuing to implement the Healthy Housing and Rural Housing programmes
• continuing state housing modernisation and energy efficiency retrofitting
• establishing a database of information on housing quality, and undertaking a national survey of housing that focuses initially on housing quality.

In the medium to long term, emphasis will be given to:

• reviewing the adequacy of the regulatory framework that applies to existing buildings, including investigating and, if appropriate, establishing a suite of standards and tools (such as a healthy housing index) to apply across the housing sector
• reviewing the Housing Improvement Regulations 1947
• developing and implementing initiatives to consider future needs and design and building opportunities
• identifying and taking up opportunities for research, information sharing and partnerships focused on low cost, high quality housing through innovative design and construction.

Government initiatives to improve housing quality are outlined in the table on the following page.

Supporting initiatives within the Government's housing quality work programme are outlined in the table opposite.