The Human Rights Commission has released a damning report into the country's housing crisis, with significant "breaches of human rights" within the housing sector.
The report, 'Implementing the right to a decent home in Aotearoa: Fairness and dignity for all', has found some progress in fixing the housing crisis, but that many are still being left behind.
"Young people, refugee and migrant families, Māori, Pasifika, single parents, elderly and disabled people continue to struggle," Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt said.
Data collected over the two-year inquiry found housing affordability has significantly decreased over the past three decades, as well as a shortfall in accessible and healthy homes, particularly rental properties.
The report found many rental properties around the country are at risk of making people sick due to mould and dampness.
"From a human rights perspective, the Government must use its maximum available resources to address the housing crisis and ensure the fundamental right is being realised in Aotearoa New Zealand," Hunt said.
"That obligation remains no matter who is in government."
The report makes six recommendations that aim to create greater accountability in ensuring everyone has the right to a decent home.
These include:
- Commit to legislative recognition of the right to a decent home, shaped by and giving effect to te Tiriti o Waitangi
- Integrate the right to a decent home into housing policy
- Appoint at least one or more independent human rights equality officers
- Fulfil obligations set out in te Tiriti o Waitangi
- Strengthen accountability across the housing system that is shaped in te Tiriti o Waitangi
- Better protect everyone, including renters and residents in emergency and transitional housing
"It is not enough to build our way out of the housing crisis. We need to ensure that dignity, whakamana tangata, is at the heart of our housing system," Hunt said.
"We see dignity and care in the work that organisations like Manaaki Rangatahi provide to rangatahi who are homeless, the Government should be known for that level of consistent care too."
Community Housing Aotearoa chief executive Paul Gilberd said there has been about 40 years of cumulative neglect within the housing system.
That's the conclusion of the Human Rights Commission's two-year housing inquiry. (Source: 1News)
"I'd say we are not as New Zealand building affordable housing fast enough and we haven't been doing that since the reforms of the Rogernomics and Ruth Richardson's 'Mother of all Budgets'."
"Just recently the Government has woken up again and has stepped into the housing market, which is a great thing to see because for the first time in the last five or six years, new housing supply has been coming in, but unfortunately it's not enough."
The current wait list for public housing alone is more than 25,000, and New Zealand has some of the lowest public housing stock in the OECD at 3.8%.
The Government says it has added 12,302 more public homes since taking office and that of this number more than 10,000 are newly built, but it is committed to doing more work in this area.
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