Habitat for Humanity New ZealandNew Zealand -- Habitat for Humanity Int'l 1
IN MANY WAYS NEW ZEALAND IS blessed. With its majestic mountains, forests, lakes, beaches and pastures, New Zealand proudly promotes its “clean, green” image. A relatively young country, New Zealand has a small population and a liberal, tolerant and seemingly egalitarian society.
However, not everyone has the same opportunities. Many low-income and even middle-income families want to build or buy their own homes (the ‘Kiwi dream’). But questions of housing affordability, high household debt and an inability to save for a deposit close the door to ownership for many families.
A 2008 study by Demographia International found that New Zealand has some of the least affordable housing in the developed world.
Median house prices have risen from 3.5 times the median household income in 1991 through to 5.7 times the median income ‑ almost double the average ratio in North America.
Demographia estimated that 29% of households that rent in New Zealand suffer from housing-related stress. Twenty-six percent of households—many of them low-income families—spend more than 30 percent of their incomes on housing. New Zealand is also troubled by a significant proportion of crowded, damp and cold houses, which result in negative health and social outcomes.
One in ten New Zealanders live in households requiring one or more additional bedrooms.
Although the government provides a limited amount of rental housing for low-income families, the waiting list is long: As at late 2008, the waiting list comprised nearly 10,000 people. For financial reasons, families may choose to live in garages or other substandard accommodation, or to squeeze into properties designed to accommodate only a few people.
Habitat for Humanity New Zealand built its first home in 1993 in Pukekohe, a small rural town just south of Auckland in the North Island. It has grown into one of the most innovative national programs in the Asia-Pacific region. HFH New Zealand works through a network of 12 affiliates.
A typical Habitat house in New Zealand is usually a stand-alone structure comprising 3-5 bedrooms, 95–125 sq. m. in floor area, constructed with the most suitable and affordable building materials: timber framing, plasterboard internal lining, suspended floor on treated timber foundation piles, fibrous cement cladding and iron roofs. The average build time is three to six months.
HFH New Zealand has an active program of hosting international volunteer builds. About ten teams visit each year, mainly from the USA. It also sends an average of ten Global Village build teams overseas, predominantly to communities in the Asia-Pacific region.
HABITAT HIGHLIGHTS
• From July 2007 to October 2008, 27 families received a “hand up” through new houses built by or renovations involving HFH New Zealand.
• From July 2007 to October 2008, eight teams of New Zealand volunteers participated on builds in Cambodia (twice), China, Fiji, Mongolia, Philippines, Vietnam, plus Ethiopia.
• HFH New Zealand hosted a well-attended public housing forum on World Habitat Day 2008 on the theme of “Affordability and Healthy Housing for All”. Speakers included thought-leaders from NGOs and academia such as the Salvation Army’s Major Campbell Roberts, sustainable housing expert Nick Collins, and public health experts Dr. Chris Bullen and Dr. Simon Denny. HFH International’s chief executive Jonathan Reckford was in New Zealand for the event.
• The Greater Auckland affiliate is partnering with the New Zealand Housing Foundation to build 16 homes, 11 will be built by Habitat and five by NZHF.
COUNTRY FACTS
Population: 4.2 million (2008 est.)
Capital: Wellington
Area: 268,680 sq. km.
Ethnic groups: European 67.6%, Maori 14.6%, Pacific 9.2%, Asian 9.2%, Middle Eastern, Latin American, African 0.9%, other 11.2% (some people identify themselves as belonging to more than one group.)
Languages: English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official)
Religions: Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, others 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census)
Updated January 2009
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