June 01, 2023
Iwi hands on for healthy homes
The chief executive of Taranaki iwi Ngāti Maru says upgrading the quality of New Zealand’s housing stock is key to making better energy choices.
Anaru Marshall attended last week’s Reducing Energy Hardship in New Plymouth, but he says some of the innovative ideas on offer come up against the reality of people living in cold and damp houses.
Since 2019 Ngati Maru has run a retro-fit programme with support from Te Puni Kokiri and the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme.
“I grew up in Waikato and there were houses that were old when I was growing up and now people are still living in those and we’re expecting to get another 20 or 30 years out of those homes. Some are up to 80 or 90 years old. The standards they were built to were nowhere near what a healthy home standard would be today. Retrofitting these homes, it’s a constant battle,” he says.
Anaru Marshall says getting a home up to standard can cost as little as $4000 – but that’s too much for many whanau budgets.