What New Zealanders really think about our housing

PHOTO: Many people are unhappy about the quality of our housing. Photo credit: Getty Images

What New Zealanders really think about the state of the houses they live in has been recorded in a survey by Research New Zealand, but the response isn’t rosy, and shows clear social divisions.

Most people said their home had enough bedrooms and amenities, but less rated their home’s affordability positively and many of those surveyed did not give their home a tick when it came to dampness.

Research NZ managing partner Emanuel Kalafatelis talked with Sunday Morning about the picture the survey paints.

Kalafatelis said the issue’s importance was underscored by the Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt’s announcement early this month of the launch of a national inquiry into the housing crisis.

Hunt’s statement that “successive Governments have failed New Zealanders” on providing a basic human right was “damning” Kalafatelis said, and the Research NZ survey was carried out in response, to shed more light on the range of experiences.

About a third of adult New Zealanders rent, and most of the rest own their own home, Kalafatelis said.