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The Human Rights Commission says renters, Māori and Pacific peoples are among the groups most affected by poor housing habitability.
Chief Commissioner Paul Hunt says its ongoing Te Kāhui Tika Tangata housing inquiry found no improvement over the past decade in two key indicators, household crowding and cold.
Almost half of all Kainga Ora tenants and 30 percent of Māori said their homes were too cold in winter.
There has been a small improvement in the amount of damp and mould found in rental housing since the start of the series in 2012.
On most indicators rental housing is of significantly poorer quality than owner-occupied housing.
Māori and Pacific peoples are less likely to live in owner-occupied housing.
Mr Hunt drew a line between Māori housing issues and colonisation policies of dispossession of land and resources which forced whānau into poverty and dependence.
He says the recent Healthy Homes legislation should help to improve housing overall and reduce the gap between owner-occupied and rental housing, but it still needs an effective accountability mechanism to ensure landlords comply.
“Improving the habitability of housing for tangata whenua must also be seen in this context of honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi, addressing racism, addressing land loss, land use barriers, and improving access to appropriate housing,” he says.
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