PSA launches Progressive Thinking on Housing booklet

WHAT: The launch of the PSA’s Progressive Thinking: ten perspectives on housing; a booklet featuring ten leading authors, academics and campaigners writing journalistically on a range of topics in housing.

It includes contributions from Alan Johnson (Salvation Army), Philippa Howden-Chapman (Otago University), David Rutherford (Human Rights Commission) and Jess Berenston-Shaw (Morgan Foundation) and more.

The launch event features several of the booklet’s contributors in discussion with Simon Wilson, Auckland editor for The Spinoff.

WHEN: Monday 21st August, 12-2pm

WHERE: St Colomba Centre, Vermont Street, Ponsonby, Auckland

WHY: Housing is a big issue for our 64,000+ members. In a survey last year, they ranked housing as a priority concern in the run-up to the election. In subsequent surveys they’ve told us of significant stress caused by the cost, availability and quality of housing. We’re concerned about the wellbeing of our members, and what will happen to our urban centres when core public and community sector workers can no longer afford to live in them.

BACKGROUND:Progressive thinking: ten perspectives on housing is a sister publication to our booklet Ten perspectives on tax that was published in May of this year. Over the ten chapters and one case study, our contributors consider everything from land and building costs to the inter-generational effects of the tax system on New Zealand’s housing markets; from renters’ rights and the housing needs of people with disabilities to the role of the state and local government in solving the problem.

A few recurrent common themes emerge during the booklet - the centrality of affordable, secure, quality housing to the health and wellbeing of our communities, and the need for us to think very differently about housing provision in the future. Several authors argue that the private market will not provide affordable housing of the type and volume that we need, and that government needs to step in to fulfil this function.

CONTENTS:

Foreword by Glenn Barclay & Erin Polaczuk, PSA national secretaries

1. Housing and Health by Philippa Howden-Chapman
2. Affordability - where next? by John Tookey
3. Innovating our way out of New Zealand’s housing disaster by Jess Berentson-Shaw
4. The soft privatisation of state housing by Alan Johnson
5. Beyond the quarter acre section by Bill McKay
6. Luck and love: housing and disability by Esther Woodbury
7. No country for young men or women by Andrew Coleman
8. The forgotten 50% by Robert Whitaker
9. Local Government and the housing crisis by Shamubeel Eaqub
10. The Human Right to Adequate Housing by David Rutherford

+ A case study in Māori housing movements by Jade Kake
Progressive Thinking: ten perspectives on housing will be available for free online at http://psa.org.nz/housingbookletfollowing the launch event.

ENDS

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