31.05.10 :: Terrence Aschoff, Manager CHRANZ

The Centre for Housing Research, Aotearoa New Zealand (CHRANZ) has today released the research report “Children’s Housing Futures” (April 2010) that identifies housing trends that affect children, assesses their impact; reviews domestic and international research, evaluation and policy; and identifies options to improve unmet need.

Undertaken by Public Policy and Research and the Centre for Research, Evaluation and Social Assessment (CRESA) this research was funded by CHRANZ.

The research confirms that housing plays a critical role in the overall health and wellbeing of New Zealand’s children and on their transition to adulthood. However, children’s housing in New Zealand is compromised on several fronts.

Firstly, some children are already exposed to living in unaffordable, crowded housing with insecure tenure in dwellings that are unsafe, cold, damp and expensive to heat. Both the owner occupier housing stock and the rental stock are performing poorly.

Secondly, there is a strong trend towards children being housed in the rental market. This suggests that the functioning and performance of the rental sector is going to be critical for children in the future. In 2006, proportionally more children 14 years or younger (39.1%, n = 318,330) lived in rented accommodation compared to any other age group. Almost 78 percent of children in rental accommodation are in the private rental market. By 2016, between 120,000 and 200,000 children are estimated to be in families with a parent(s) who are employed but are unable to enter home ownership.

The research identifies five priorities for children’s housing and the information and research required if New Zealand is going to effectively promote the wellbeing of children through meeting their housing needs now and in the future.

A full copy of the research report is available online. A copy of the CHRANZ Research Bulletin is available online.

For further information please contact:

Kay Saville Smith
Research Director
CRESA
Phone: 04 384 5921
Cell: 027 4303 575

or

Dr Bev James
Cell: 027 2478 35

or

Terrence Aschoff
CHRANZ
terrence.aschoff@chranz.co.nz
Phone: 04 439 3326