Housing and Health

 
Many houses in New Zealand are generally cold, damp, mouldy and hard to heat in winter.
 

Research by the Housing and Health Research Programme1 (based out of the Wellington School of Medicine & Health Sciences), has shown that cold and damp homes pose significant health risks, particularly for the young and the elderly.

Beacon Pathway report2 that New Zealanders spend 75% - 90% of their time at home, yet many New Zealand homes exhibit the following hazardous features, across all socioeconomic groups:
  • New Zealand homes are on average 6°C below World Health Organisation recommended minimum temperatures in winter, due to inadequate insulation and insufficient heating
  • 35% of New Zealand homes have an unflued gas heater (read about some of the negative effects of unflued gas heaters by clicking here)
  • New Zealand has an excessive winter mortality rate of around 16003. This effect is not seen in other OECD countries, and our cold housing is thought to have a large role in this
  • New Zealand has one of the highest rates of asthma in the world, with asthma and allergy rates increasing
  • Air inside homes is more polluted than outdoor air

3 The number of additional deaths occurring in winter compared to those occurring in non-winter months.