Over 20 New Zealand organisations have united in a call for political parties to take more action on what's been described as the "alarming state" of our housing stock.
The call comes at a time when parties are developing their housing policies, with both major parties having indicated it as an election priority.
The group is made up of members from the health, environment and building sectors, all wanting a commitment to bring at least 200,000 old and mouldy homes up to scratch.
"What we're trying to achieve is for policymakers within all political parties to have a real focus of the existing homes across New Zealand," says Jennifer Whittle, Director of Communications and Engagement at NZ Green Building.
"[We want] all political parties to go broader and review tax incentives, review subsidies and actually make it affordable for Kiwis to do this work."
"I think political parties would claim that they have responded, but they're really just shading around the edges looking at those who are financially distressed or targeting landlords to support tenants," Whittle says.
Nick Goodall, Head of Research at CoreLogic NZ, was surprised to see the call picked up on such a large scale, saying the broad alliance is a "pretty unique one that just shows the height and scale of this problem".
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