October 04, 2022
Poor design adding to housing woes
The Human Rights Commission says Kainga Ora needs to move to universal design so its homes are accessible regardless of the age and physical condition of tenants.
The commission has published a review of housing data through a human rights lens which found more than 100,000 people face severe housing deprivation, including disproportionate numbers of Maori and Pasifika.
Commissioner Paul Hunt says it also found 17 percent of people with a physical impairment including many elderly people have unmet housing modification needs.
“It’s sort of basic really. All public housing these days should be built for universal design, ensuring it is accessible for wheelchairs and walkers. There are big problems in the private sector in terms of accessibility as well,” he says.
Mr Hunt says while the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recommends governments “commit to a target of 100 percent accessibility for new build public housing and introduce mandatory accessibility requirements for new housing constructed by the private sector, Kāinga Ora is aiming for just 15 percent of its new builds to meet universal design standards,.