Report says NZ is going backwards on housing
The New Zealand Human Rights Foundation has published a report finding that housing inequality in Aotearoa remains largely unchanged, with Māori, Pacific peoples, disabled people and renters hit hardest. The report, called 'The right to a decent home in Aotearoa New Zealand: review 2023-2026', was launched at PSA House in Wellington on Monday, August 10, 2026 (NZ Human Rights Foundation, LinkedIn).
RNZ reported the Foundation found there has been 'almost no progress' towards decent housing since 2023 (RNZ). The report says several government decisions have made housing less affordable, less secure for tenants, and less accessible (RNZ). Te Ao News separately reported the Foundation's finding that the Government is taking Māori housing and Te Tiriti commitments 'backwards' (Te Ao News.
The report uses a set of United Nations guidelines to judge whether housing is decent. Those guidelines look at whether homes are safe to live in, affordable, secure for tenants, accessible for disabled people, culturally appropriate, well-located, and close to essential services (RNZ).
Jacqueline Paul, a Māori housing expert on the Foundation's managing committee, said more people, including Māori and tamariki, are being evicted from emergency housing (RNZ).
The report makes two main recommendations. First, it says Kāinga Ora — the government agency that provides state houses — should not be able to kick tenants out for 'antisocial behaviour' or for not following a payment plan (RNZ). Second, it wants the government to bring back Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga, a funding programme specifically for Māori housing. That programme was scrapped in Budget 2025 and its money moved into a general housing fund (RNZ).
RNZ approached Associate Minister of Housing Tama Potaka for comment (RNZ).
The broader context here is that the report looks at housing as a human right, not just as something bought and sold on the market. That means the Foundation believes everyone should have a secure, decent home, no matter what. That view clashes with government policies that attach conditions to state housing tenancies or that pool Māori housing money into a general fund.
There is a real disagreement behind these recommendations. The government says conditions like 'antisocial behaviour' rules are about holding tenants accountable and using public housing responsibly. The Foundation says those same conditions stop people from accessing a basic right. Similarly, the government folded Māori housing funding into a contestable fund where providers compete. The report argues that dedicated, by-Māori-for-Māori funding works better.
For ministers in the Beehive, the report touches several sensitive areas at once: Māori housing outcomes, Te Tiriti commitments, emergency housing and public housing rules. The launch at PSA House brought together the Foundation, DCM Wellington and people from the public housing and community sectors, all framing the government's current direction as a step backwards.
