From Research to Results: Tracking the Impact of Cool Roofs in Niue

In 2025, we shared how Habitat for Humanity New Zealand was supporting the REFLECT project in Niue. The project, led by the University of Auckland (UoA), explored whether reflective roof coatings could help make homes cooler and protect people from the health impacts of extreme heat.

Fast forward to late 2026 and the project has reached an important milestone: 12 months of participant follow-up are complete, and researchers are now analysing the data to understand what difference cool roofs could make.

As temperatures rise, extreme heat is becoming an increasing health concern. In places like Niue, homes can become uncomfortably hot, making practical ways to reduce indoor temperatures increasingly important.

The REFLECT project is exploring whether a relatively simple intervention, applying reflective "cool roof" coatings, can help address this challenge.

Supported by Habitat for Humanity New Zealand, researchers are measuring the health, environmental and economic impacts of cool roofs across multiple countries, including Niue.

The study in Niue has now completed its full 12-month participant follow-up period.

Following recruitment and roof painting in late 2024, research participants were monitored throughout 2025 and into 2026. In total, 206 households and 294 participants took part in the trial, making it one of the most significant studies of its kind undertaken in the Pacific.

Throughout the year, researchers collected information on a wide range of health and wellbeing indicators, including sleep, heart rate, physical activity, dehydration, blood pressure and heat-related symptoms. Smartwatches, surveys and health assessments were used to better understand how indoor temperatures can influence daily life and health outcomes.

With data collection now complete, researchers are entering the next stage of the project: analysing the results.

The findings are expected to help inform future approaches to housing, health and climate adaptation across Pacific communities and other regions vulnerable to extreme heat.

Community involvement has remained central to the project in Niue.

Local village councils, tradespeople and community members have played a central role in organising roof installations and supporting data collection activities. Community engagement has continued throughout the project through village meetings, radio programmes, television presentations and stakeholder discussions.

Local workers also received specialised cool roof application training, building practical skills that can benefit communities beyond the life of the research project. After initial training in New Zealand, local teams successfully led roof installation work in Niue with ongoing technical support.

This community-led approach reflects Habitat's belief that lasting change happens when people are active participants in creating solutions for their own communities.

The REFLECT project is about more than paint.

It's about understanding how housing can protect health in a changing climate.

Extreme heat is increasingly recognised as a serious health risk worldwide. By examining whether simple housing improvements can reduce heat exposure, researchers hope to identify practical and affordable solutions that can be scaled across climate-vulnerable communities.

The study is also investigating potential impacts on household energy costs, comfort and wellbeing, providing a broader picture of how housing influences quality of life.

For Pacific communities on the frontline of climate change, evidence like this will be increasingly important in helping governments, organisations and communities make informed decisions about future housing and climate adaptation investments.

While data analysis is still underway, one thing is already clear: strong partnerships between communities, researchers and organisations can drive innovation and create meaningful opportunities to strengthen climate resilience.

Habitat for Humanity New Zealand's support helped fund the cool roof coatings used in Niue, contributing to a project that is generating valuable evidence for the Pacific and beyond.

As the research team analyses results over the coming months, we look forward to sharing what they've learned and how those findings could help shape healthier, more climate-resilient homes for future generations.

Your support helps Habitat work alongside Pacific communities to find practical housing solutions that improve health, strengthen resilience and prepare families for a changing climate.

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