The New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) says today’s policy from the Green Party offers some sensible ways for our country to tackle our woeful housing and is urging all parties to work together to address New Zealand’s cold, damp, inefficient homes.

“Hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders live in damp, mouldy homes. However, homeowners can’t afford to make the improvements necessary to make them healthy, efficient, sustainable places,” NZGBC chief executive Andrew Eagles says.

“This is where any future government must show leadership and follow in the footsteps of many throughout the OECD in rolling out an extensive retrofit programme.”

Recent research from BERL explored retrofit programmes overseas and what lessons there are for an extensive retrofit programme here in New Zealand. The report found improving our homes through to 2050 could provide a $50 billion boost for New Zealand in terms of health and energy savings alone, climbing to upwards of $116 billion including wider wellbeing benefits.

“The grant and interest-free loans proposed by the Green Party appear to be modelled on other successful initiatives used overseas and will help lower the barriers for whānau to improve their homes.”

However, Andrew Eagles says it’s vital that there isn’t an over emphasis on new solar.

“When people think green homes they think solar. However, this investment is pointless if that home is just going to continue wasting energy through inefficient design and systems. Tackling energy demand must be the top priority.”

Improving our houses has strong support here in Aotearoa. Since launching in January, The Homes We Deserve alliance has grown to almost 170 organisations backing a call for every political party to promise a fully funded, ambitious home reno programme for at least 200,000 homes if elected.

“Lower energy bills, healthier New Zealanders, and slashing emissions. There are so many benefits, all that’s needed is for our politicians to step up. With cost of living, health, and climate crises front of mind this election, we expect every political party will set out how they’re going to support Kiwis living in cold, damp, inefficient homes.”

Earlier this year a ConsumerLink survey found one in three New Zealanders would be more likely to cast their vote for a party promising to significantly and urgently improve New Zealand’s unhealthy homes.

“We’ve got a healthcare system in crisis, thousands being hospitalised through preventable respiratory illness, a reliance on pollution-belching coal-fired Huntly power station, hundreds of new home gas lines being installed every month, and families struggling to heat their home in winter. Supporting families to improving their houses addresses all these challenges and frees up electricity for other uses such as EVs.”

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