Housing

Strong communities are built on strong foundations; housing is where that begins.

Houging Kaupapa Group

The Housing Kaupapa Group brings providers, iwi, and community leaders together to tackle barriers to housing access. This is a space for collaboration focused on strengthening the housing system so whānau in Porirua can thrive.
If you care about improving access to healthy, affordable housing and want to be part of the solution, we’d love you to join us. EOI will open soon.
Our Place in the Housing Crisis

Watch economist Shumabeel Eaqub present critical topics within housing economics, including the current housing crisis and the actions that must be taken to resolve it at the National Māori Housing Conference 2023.

Watch Here
Housing First

A ‘Housing First’ approach has been shown to provide the best environment for addressing the often complex needs of those without shelter. In this innovative programme, housing is unconditional. It is not ‘earned’ by compliance, rather it is a ‘right’; treatments are made available but uptake is voluntary.

Listen to this interview with Dr. Fraser from Otago University who says a housing-first approach - without requirements such as getting sober - can reduce hospitalisations and visits to the emergency department.

Listen Here

Why Housing Matters

Access to housing sits on a continuum from high levels of support and subsidy through to full independence. At one end, individuals and whānau may rely on emergency, transitional, or heavily subsidised housing. At the other end, they are securely and independently housed in the private market. Movement along this continuum is not always linear, and many people shift back and forth or are stuck and unable to move up the continuum.

A range of partners work across this continuum. Kāinga Ora plays a central role in providing public housing, alongside community housing providers who deliver locally grounded, wraparound support. Local authorities also contribute through social housing and broader place-based initiatives.

Recognising this continuum helps shift the focus from one-off housing solutions to a more connected system that supports people to access the right housing at the right time, with the right level of support.

Housing is a fundamental human right and the foundation for well-being. Safe, warm, accessible and secure housing underpins every aspect of life: health, education, employment, and whānau stability. Without it, people are more likely to experience illness, stress and barriers to opportunity.

When housing is unaffordable, overcrowded, or of poor quality, inequities deepen, particularly for communities already facing disadvantage. In places like Porirua, where stark contrasts exist between wealth and hardship, housing can either reinforce cycles of disadvantage or help break them.

Investing in good housing is one of the most powerful ways to improve outcomes across the board. It supports tamariki to thrive, enables whānau to stay connected, and creates the conditions for people to live with dignity and mana.

The Housing Continuum

The housing continuum illustrates the range of housing options available to individuals and whānau, from those requiring high levels of support and subsidy to those living with financial independence.

Data That Tells a Story

As at the 2023 Census, 112,496 people (2.3 percent of the population) were estimated to be severely housing deprived. The actual number may be higher, as undercounting is likely to affect all categories of severe housing deprivation. Severely housing deprived population include those without shelter, in temporary accommodation, sharing someone else’s private dwelling and in uninhabitable housing.

“A damp house causes my kids to be sick. It’s extra hard work for me as a mother, and impacts my mental health”

— Wahine at Reimagining Session on mental health

“I was homeless and you say I don’t qualify”

— Young hapū māmā at Reimagining Session on maternal health

“Unaffordable housing has affected my mental health because the insecurity of not knowing if you have a home in the future and always having to move house to house. I could never stay with the same friends for long.”

— Rangatahi at Reimagining Session on mental health

“Not living in fear of getting kicked out of housing”

— Māmā at Reimagining Session on maternal health

What We Are Doing

We are supporting improved access to housing by strengthening coordination across services and providers in Porirua. By bringing together organisations working across the housing system, we support shared learning, better visibility of what housing stock is available and more effective collective responses to the needs of whānau.

Porirua Community Leaders’ Forum (PCLF) exists to foster relationships, strengthen local connections, and create a shared space for community-led action and learning. It brings together Porirua’s diverse leaders across iwi, community, Pacific, migrant, business, education, and social sectors to identify shared priorities and coordinate collective impact for our city.

As part of this model, kaupapa groups are established to move ideas into tangible action. Each group focuses on a specific area of community priority such as kai, housing etc.

The Housing Kaupapa Group is a collective space to tackle barriers to access and shape practical solutions for our whānau focused on strengthening the housing system.

If you care about improving access to healthy, accessible housing and want to be part of the solution, we’d love you to join us.