Healthy Homes Initiatives - Auckland - Co-design: testing ideas to make homes warmer and drier - Ministry of Health
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Healthy Homes
Initiatives – Auckland
Co-design: testing ideas to make homes warmer and drier
October 2016 - February 2018
Executive Summary
This report outlines the lessons from a co-design process on Auckland’s
Healthy Homes Initiatives. This is led by The Southern Initiative for the
Ministry of Health.
This second report on the We have learned by doing and many stakeholders. We refined
Auckland Healthy Homes made changes as needed. We and tested nine prototypes:
Initiatives (HHI) co-design journey have abandoned some ideas
1. landlord letter to improve
focuses on work undertaken that did not work and returned
communications.
since October 20161. It: to others, approaching them
slightly differently. This has been
• builds on the key findings 2. Minor Repair Service (MRS) to
done in a “safer to try, safer to
from earlier work by outlining undertake low cost and high
fail” environment. Safer because
the co-design process and impact minor repairs
we begin testing with smaller
lessons learned from the for private rentals and low
numbers and do not expect
testing of ideas (prototypes) income homeowners.
everything to be perfect. In
• details the tensions that have testing, we are always supporting
3. landlord liaison role (within
surfaced during testing, and the whānau and minimising
the MRS) to strengthen the
next steps in the process. risk through the process while
landlord’s understanding
During this phase of the co- balancing live testing.
and buy-in to improvements
design process, the team has During the testing phase, the co- needed.
continued to test and refine ideas. design team worked closely with
Designing the Minor Repair Service
1. Link to first report: http://www.beaconpathway.co.nz/images/uploads/AWHI_Stage_One_report_May17.pdf
2 The Southern Initiative
4. working with Auckland Council As the total housing supply will
Compliance and MBIE Tenancy remain a challenge over the
Compliance and Investigations coming years - improving the
teams to test how to best quality of the existing stock
ensure properties are brought quickly is crucial for lower
up to standard. income families.
The co-design team will continue
5. building capacity and capability
to develop and refine prototypes,
within existing curtain banks to
and to share the lessons learned.
make them more effective and
As we continue tracking the out-
Auckland-wide curtain drives to
comes for whānau in the HHI
boost the available stock.
system in Auckland, we will paint
a stronger picture of what works
6. home performance training
for them, for landlords and for
for HHI assessors – including
other stakeholders.
simple and practical tips on
making a home warmer and
drier based on science
and expertise.
7. a locality-based ‘peer to peer’
empowerment model of home
performance knowledge.
8. testing whether a power
voucher and education would
help whānau to heat their
homes more in winter.
9. leveraging other resources
to support whānau such as
Healthy Rentals.
Through the co-design process,
we have been able to test and
document how current housing
policy and legislation plays out
in real life for vulnerable whānau.
Testing with the MRS and the
landlord liaison in particular, have
shown that legislation change
alone may not be enough to
spur some landlords into making
necessary changes to ensure
their properties can be warm, dry
and healthy. Early trends show
that some landlords will “need
to be managed into compliance”
with persistent advice and
engagement.
The Southern Initiative 3
Background
From 2015 The Southern Initiative has been using a co-design process to
establish a sustainable supply of housing-related interventions to create
warm, dry, healthy homes for Auckland’s Healthy Homes Initiatives.
In late 2015 the Ministry of Health high rheumatic fever incidence called Kainga Ora. AWHI continues
contracted The Southern Initiative DHB regions including Northland, to deliver the HHI service for
(TSI) at Auckland Council to Waikato, Wellington, Lakes, Bay of whānau living in the Counties
increase the supply of housing- Plenty, Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti Manukau DHB area.
related interventions for the District Health Board (DHB) regions. Healthy Housing Initiatives target
Auckland HHI service known as
The services were further expanded those with high health needs
the Auckland-wide Healthy Homes
as part of Budget 2016, beyond providing support and interventions
Initiative (AWHI). through a mix of the Healthy
reducing household crowding and
AWHI was the first Healthy Homes rheumatic fever to creating warm, Homes Hubs and inter-agency
Initiative (HHI) set up by the Ministry collaboration. The below diagram
dry and healthy homes for pregnant
of Health as part of the Rheumatic briefly outlines the HHI process.
women and vulnerable 0-5 year
Fever Prevention Programme (RFPP)
olds (refer appendix 1 for eligibility
to reduce household crowding
criteria details).
and the subsequent transmission of
Group A Streptococcus (which can At this time, Auckland and
lead to rheumatic fever). In 2015, Waitemata DHBs established a new
the initiative was expanded to other HHI service for their population
The HHI process
1 Whānau referred to e.g. Minor Repair Service
other services MSD entitlements
Housing relocation
2 HNZ home repairs
Whānau not eligible for Beds/bedding
AWHI or Kainga Ora Heating device Whānau has everything
Whānau eligible for they need and leaves
AWHI or Kainga Ora AWHI or Kainga Ora
AWHI or
Kainga Ora Hub 3 4 5
Whānau need
identified
and whānau
is referred HHI assessor
Hub coordinates Follow up with whānau
visits whānau 6
to AWHI or interventions six months later
& plan developed
Kainga Ora September
(after winter)
Whānau needs
more interventions
4 The Southern Initiative
The Four Phases
of Co-Design
Co-design is a user-centred approach that focuses on:
• people’s experiences and insights to generate new perspectives and new solutions
• fast experimentation (prototyping) and learning by doing.
The diagram below shows the four phases of co-design. This report focuses on the testing phase,
although the process is more iterative than shown in the diagram.
The actual design process might look more like this:
The Southern Initiative 5
In late 2015, the design team began by listening to the lived experience of whānau and frontline workers through empathy interviews. These findings were developed into key insights and further developed into ideas (prototypes) through the following process: • insights were shared with stakeholders from the health, housing, social enterprise, community, government, and local government sectors at a stakeholder workshop • ideas (prototypes) were generated by the stake- holder workshop • smaller groups worked with the ideas and refined them for testing • further refinement and prototype testing was undertaken. The co-design process is iterative so the first ideas tested resulted in additional ideas being tested. The lessons drawn from ongoing work with whānau and frontline staff across the HHI system have contributed to the evolution of these prototypes. The evolution of initial prototypes to those currently being tested is shown in the following diagram and described in more detail in the following sections. 6 The Southern Initiative
Key ideas created from Stakeholder Workshop
One stop shop
Improved Helping
to make it easier A mobile
communication families
for private landlords home fix it
with private to heat their
and families to make a truck
landlords homes
house warm and dry
Ideas refining and testing
A delivery system that empowers Empathy interviews
families and connects existing community with whānau, provision
Introductory letter enterprises and businesses of advice, a power
to private landlord payment and an energy
developed and tested monitoring device
A working bee Curtain installation Curtain supply
Prototypes tested
1 2 3 5 8
An Auckland wide curtain drive
Letter (refined and A Minor Repair Power pilot
used as standard Service with a 7
practice) landlord liaison
6 Empower familes to
9
achieve warm and dry
Leveraging other homes – Kootuitui Ki
4
resources such as Papakura – whānau and
Healthy Rentals Ko Huiamano
Escalation to Council and MBIE
! compliance teams for homes
Home Performance training
for frontline workers
in a poor state of repair
The Southern Initiative 7
Key Insights
Listening to whānau and AWHI assessors in November and December 2015
helped the team develop key insights.
The eleven key insights listed below reflect AWHI referrals as the Kainga Ora service
had not yet been set up. These insights have informed:
• the way in which Kainga Ora was established
• how AWHI operates now
• the development of prototypes.
1. Whānau try to be 3. Whānau find some inter- 6. Personality
self-reliant ventions too costly to run and dedication
Many have tried to improve their If given heaters, many whānau do Some AWHI assessors go beyond
homes before becoming part not use them. their role to get positive outcomes
of AWHI. for whānau. Whānau do not feel
judged by AWHI assessors as
4. Mixed views of
they do by some people in
2. Whānau are struggling AWHI process other agencies.
and vulnerable Some whānau viewed the HHI
Some people sleep together to process positively and believe
7. Communication with
keep warm and more than one that the interventions made a
family might live in one small difference to their children’s health. landlords could be better
house because of need. Others were frustrated by having Some private landlords are not
to answer the same personal being told that there is a sick
Families have expressed wanting to
questions repeatedly with different child in the home and we cannot
assist extended family members in
agencies and did not want to assume they know how to make
need but wanting their own house
be involved. the home healthy.
at the same time.
Families perceive Housing New
Zealand homes as a good option 5. AWHI’s advocacy 8. Healthy homes literacy
due to lower cost, greater ease, AWHI assessors play a crucial and Whānau and AWHI assessors need
and higher quality compared to positive advocacy role in getting appropriate education about how
private rentals. interventions implemented. They to make homes healthy and how
also navigate the complex social to use the interventions effectively,
assistance systems and have to such as heating, or mechanical
follow up constantly on behalf ventilation in kitchens and
of whānau. bathrooms.
8 The Southern Initiative
9. The Healthy Homes 11. Frustration with
journey is difficult and agencies
complex Some AWHI whānau are frustrated
Whānau are contacted multiple by their treatment by government
times by multiple agencies but agencies and are nervous about
information is not always shared them coming into their home.
and it is unclear who is responsible Good outcomes have sometimes
for some tasks. been dependent on the attitude of
an individual within an agency.
10. Information sharing The research also showed that
and relationships across the school nurse involved with
Group A Streptococcus throat
agencies are critical swabs was a positive relationship
for interventions to be for some whānau.
delivered effectively
and efficiently
An appropriate level of information
about the AWHI process, and
housing interventions is needed
across government agencies and
organisations supporting the
AWHI process.
"We were all
sleeping just in
my room. Just
to keep warm."
– HHI whānau
The Southern Initiative 9
1. Landlord letter
After preliminary testing, a letter to inform landlords that a sick or vulnerable
child lives in the property has been refined, and is now used across Auckland.
The letter was developed and Experience in talking to tenants • HHI assessors felt the letter
tested with landlords, a community about their landlords, and in assisted whānau to advocate
paediatrician, the AWHI hub, AWHI contacting landlords with the for themselves.
assessors, and whānau. It was letter, has identified that:
Some whānau declined using
designed to be official (from the
• many tenants have in- the letter for a variety of reasons
DHB) but also to set up a platform
complete contact details including concern about rent
for an open dialogue between
for the landlords increases and the reaction from
landlord, tenant and the HHI. We
their landlord. The HHI continues
had found that the landlord may • landlords respond in a
to work with whānau not using the
not know there was a sick child variety of ways. The HHI
letter to help ensure they are living
in the rental property and that calls landlords to get their
in warm, dry and healthy homes.
whānau were often too nervous details so they can send the
to communicate with the landlord. introductory letter. Some are The co-design team, hubs and
Landlords told us that an official initially very defensive while MRS will continue to ensure the
signature from the local DHB others want to know what letter remains an effective tool to
would have the most impact and they can do engage landlords. The impact of
encourage landlords to engage. the letter is reviewed regularly with
• whānau like the letter to
the regional HHI hubs and with the
The letter was adopted and used support them in discussions
MRS team.
by the AWHI hub from 2016 with their landlord
and the Kainga Ora hub when it
commenced. It has since been
refined to take into account:
• the expanded HHI
eligibility criteria
• services that the new MRS
can provide to whānau
living in owner occupied
and private rental homes
(including boarding)
• feedback from whānau, the
hubs and their assessors and
the landlord liaison.
The letter is sent to the landlord by
the Hub if the whānau agrees. HHI
assessors talked to the whānau
about the home, their relationship
with their landlord and the letter as
part of the assessment. Above: A landlord letter from a DHB.
10 The Southern Initiative2. Working bee to
Minor Repair Service
The early working bee prototype has developed into a Minor Repair Service
that provides home improvements for low-income families living in private
rental homes or their own homes.
Early AWHI data highlighted that As part of exploring this prototype cannot hang curtain rails;
whānau living in private rentals the co-design team learned that: some properties require
were not getting as many warm extensive repairs beyond
• technical home performance
and dry interventions as Housing what a working bee could do
knowledge is needed to
New Zealand families. Private
understand how to best make • legislation, including the
sector landlords involved in
a home warm and dry, and Residential Tenancies
ideation said that information
most HHI assessors did not Act 1986 requires a property
and advice on making their rental
have this expertise to be provided and maintained
properties warm and dry was
in a reasonable condition.
not easy to find or understand. It • the relationship with the
also identified that this technical landlord is critical The above learnings formed the
knowledge and skill often did not basis of a number of prototypes
• it was difficult to coordinate a
sit with the role of an HHI assessor. explored later in this report.
time with the tenant, landlord,
The early working bee concept assessor and suppliers of Stakeholders, including the co-
was to coordinate improvements the interventions design team, Ministry of Health and
to private rental homes to make Habitat for Humanity, refined the
• only limited improvements
them warmer and drier for working bee concept to a MRS.
can be made without
HHI whānau. landlord’s consent e.g., they Habitat for Humanity was
can install bubble wrap but contracted to pilot the MRS
covering south Auckland initially,
while working with the co-design
team to iterate and refine the
"Yeah we've all prototype.
learned a lot, the The team acknowledged there
was a tension with this prototype
bubble wrap, little between simplifying the HHI
system and adding another
things can make a assessment into the process for the
huge difference." private rental sector. However it is
an important step in ensuring
– HHI whānau that those living in the private
rental sector get the best
possible outcomes.
The Southern Initiative 11What does the MRS do?
The MRS is designed to:
• assess the property to identify what interventions and/or improvements are needed to enable a warm
and dry home2
• discuss with the tenant how they can help keep the home warm, dry and healthy (reinforcing the messages
delivered by the HHI assessor)
• send the landlord a report prioritising any changes needed to make the home warmer and drier
• contact the landlord and provide impartial advice on how to make the home warmer, drier and healthier
for the tenant, advise on available subsidies that they may be eligible for, and get a financial contribution
from the landlord towards the repairs
• undertake low cost but high impact interventions.
MRS staff complete the assessment and send the report to the landlord prioritising the key interventions required
for the home and listing the ones that the MRS can undertake. The assessment is free and the service provides
free labour for installing interventions. The landlord pays for the materials.
MRS interventions
Interventions undertaken by the
MRS may include:
• draught stopping, including
around doors and windows
and covering broken
windows
• providing a mould removal
kit and advice on its use (use
70% white vinegar and 30%
water to kill mould)
• providing column heaters,
particularly when unflued gas
heaters are being used
• repairing guttering (less than
2m long)
• applying secondary window
glazing using bubble wrap
• installing window security
latches where windows are
not opened for security or
safety concerns, to help
with ventilation
• installing curtain rails where
needed and collecting and
hanging curtains provided by
the curtain banks. Inside the MRS van
2. The assessment design drew heavily on early Warrant of Fitness work undertaken by multiple parties including local government (Eco Design
Advisors, Local Boards, Councils), Beacon Pathway, NZ Green Building Council and University of Otago
12 The Southern InitiativeHabitat for Humanity, AWHI
and Kainga Ora worked with
other HHI around the country to
get some of the supplies at cost
such as bubble wrap. Currently
curtain rails are supplied by some
landlords or from local donations.
Early home assessments identified
that some interventions could not
be provided by the MRS, for
example:
• mechanical ventilation which
required an electrician so could
not be installed
• interventions not making the
home warmer and drier
MRS fixing a leak
• some interventions such
as window security stays are
only provided where they
directly addressed helping keep
the home warm and dry. Curtain measurement the builder now measures for the
curtains and checks if any curtain
and Installation
Intervention logic was developed rails are needed. This ensures
Early co-design work highlighted
to guide which interventions curtains are correctly measured,
that some whānau received
should be undertaken to achieve full-length, and cover windows
curtains but were unable to install
warm, dry and healthy homes. properly to prevent draughts.
them for reasons including a lack
Referrals have increased rapidly of curtain rails. It also identified The MRS is a two year trial until
over the later part of the winter that curtains frequently did not fit 2019. Co-design will continue
with 65 referrals from July to correctly. For example, some were to work with the MRS team to
September 2017, up from 30 measured only to the windowsill or capture lessons that improve
referrals in the previous quarter, did not cover the entire window. MRS for families and landlords and
when the service was just starting.
As part of the MRS assessment, inform broader systems changes.
As HHI assessors saw the positive
outcomes for whānau that they
were referring, the number of
whānau being referred increased
rapidly. The maximum capacity for
MRS was 400 homes per year and
around 250 referrals were received "Yeah he gave us a little
up until February 2018. heater that was helpful,
I warm the room for like
20 minutes and then
before I put them to
sleep in there it's warm.
– HHI whānau
The Southern Initiative 133. Landlord liaison within
the Minor Repair Service
Specialist skills for communicating impartially with landlords are required to
gain landlord approval to implement minor repairs and to encourage the
landlord to undertake other necessary interventions.
It is critical that landlords • obtaining agreement from the be required of them. Landlords
understand the need for warm landlord, where required to were reassured once they read the
and dry improvements as they will undertake interventions and to report and were happy to discuss
have an ongoing role in keeping cover the costs of materials the recommendations.
their property up to standard. In
addition, they need to agree and • explaining and encouraging
Insulation referrals
fund many of the interventions. the landlord to implement
An insight from discussions with
other priority improvements
During the landlord letter testing landlords was that some felt
(which cannot be completed by
and development of the MRS, suspicious of ‘cold calls’ from
the MRS) and giving advice on
it was identified that, in the insulation companies.
available subsidies to assist with
same way that the HHI assessor
making these improvements. Therefore, one part of the landlord
is a navigator for the whānau,
This includes reinforcing the liaison role is to encourage
a landlord navigator role was
landlord’s legal obligations. landlords to obtain insulation
needed within the MRS. We
quotes, taking advantage of Energy
hypothesised that the landlord
The landlord liaison works closely Efficiency and Conservation
liaison needed to be a skilled
with the MRS assessors to ensure Authority (EECA) subsidies.
communicator and negotiator
the landlord understands the We tested changing the process
who understood landlord
improvements required and is from Greenstar making the
motivations, home performance
encouraged to undertake them. introductory phone call for
and the legislative context.
The role has empathy for each insulation, to the landlord liaison
In the pilot of the MRS, individual landlord or property discussing insulation with the
the landlord liaison role managed manager and explains that the MRS landlord as part of the MRS
all communications between the team also worked with whānau recommendations. So far this has
MRS and the landlord, including: to improve their understanding of resulted in more quotes being
• contacting the landlord once keeping a home warm and dry. arranged but only a handful more
they have received the report As the number of landlords in homes have been insulated than
and explaining the MRS, the the service increased, processes when the insulation company
proposed interventions and to improve time frames and previously cold called. A number
their benefits engagement with landlords were of landlords are still sitting on
adjusted. An example of this is quotes or have declined to receive
• explaining the interventions changing to sending the report an insulation quote. This will be
that the MRS will undertake to the landlord prior to phoning further investigated with landlords
that do not require landlord them. Conversations prior to and property managers.
consent e.g., tenant education, this were sometimes difficult as
secondary glazing using landlords got nervous when they
bubble wrap did not know what was going to
14 The Southern InitiativeEmerging trends about landlords of properties occupied by HHI whānau
Based on the first 200 referrals to the MRS, approximately 90 per cent have been private rentals and 10 per cent
homeowners. About half of the private rentals are managed by professional property management companies.
From the 70 cases that have been completed, four categories of landlords have been identified:
49% 33%
Responsive to the tenants Persistent follow-up
needs and engaged with the required from the
service - they are immediately landlord liaison to agree
happy for MRS to complete to any interventions
their interventions and perhaps including free ones and
undertake recommendations obtaining insulation
for work outside of the MRS quotes
e.g., Installing mechanical
ventilation
4%
13%
Property managers who
engage with the service
Unresponsive to attempts but the owners are
from landlord liaison to subsequently unwilling to
engage and/or will not fix undertake non-mandatory
the significant issues recommendations.
"For seven years every time the
builders would come and fix it they
would be paid to plaster over, and
the builders kept saying like this is
not a fix, and then eventually the
ceiling collapsed."
– HHI whānau
The Southern Initiative 15"Within 23 minutes of me
sending the email I had
Deferred maintenance a response...saying she'd
The MRS identified a number
of rental and owner-occupied been in touch with the
homes in poor repair where
no recent maintenance had
owner, listing the things
been undertaken. This included
leaking roofs, rotting window
she was going to do..."
frames where window panes had
– Landlord liaison
fallen out, or mould ingrained
into the linings. It became clear
that engaging some landlords
in upgrading the homes would
require extra advocacy and,
ultimately for some cases,
enforcement (refer section 4
on compliance prototyping).
Other findings so far include:
• there have been a few cases where one property management company or real estate branch has managed
more than one HHI property
• a very small number of landlords or property managers increased the rent or served a 42 or 90-day notice at
some point along the HHI process. This is being monitored. It is often difficult to tell whether it is attributable (in
full or in part) to the HHI involvement. MSD offered to assist in these extreme cases where appropriate.
• the tenant and landlord relationships were inextricably linked. It appeared easier to achieve interventions where
the tenant perceived that they had a good relationship with the landlord
• it is sometimes not clear cut whether damage is the result of poor maintenance and wear and tear or caused
by a tenant, for example broken windows
• even when the tenant acknowledges that they have caused the damage it can add stress to the tenant-
landlord relationship given the financial consequences of needing to remedy it.
Based on interactions so far it is estimated that if landlords do not engage meaningfully within 3 months,
it is unlikely that they will undertake recommendations made by the MRS that require landlord consent.
Findings to date show that the landlord liaison role is crucial to the functioning of the MRS. Co-design will
continue to work with the landlord liaison. One of the opportunities identified for further work is investigating
ways to increase the number of landlords installing insulation. Another is to work more closely with property
management companies to achieve better outcomes.
16 The Southern Initiative"We do get frustrated.
What we find though is that
even when we ask tenants
at inspections – is there
anything?...they don't like to
volunteer information."
– Property manager
"We have been
asking for help for
so long but nothing
is done. We are
grateful for anything
that can be done
to help us."
– Alisi
Residential Tenancies Act 1986
Section 45 Landlord’s responsibilities
The landlord shall:
(a) provide the premises in a reasonable state of cleanliness; and
(b) provide and maintain the premises in a reasonable state of
repair having regard to the age and character of the premises
and the period during which the premises are likely to remain
habitable and available for residential purposes;
If the owner is not named on the tenancy agreement and a property
manager or company is named as the sole landlord for the tenancy,
the company generally takes on all the rights and responsibilities of
the landlord.
The Southern Initiative 17Alisi's family's property manager needs a push Alisi's property manager agreed to repairs only after persistent followup by the Minor Repair Service Alisi and Melino, their two adult children, two younger children and grandparents have lived in their four bedroom home since 2013. The house is managed by a well known real estate company. They were paying $430 a week in rent. There have been regular property inspections where the tenants have raised maintenance concerns such as a rotten lounge wall and mould in the bathroom. No repairs had been undertaken and the family disguised the decaying wall in their lounge with a wall hanging. One of their children tested positive for strep throat three times and the school clinic referred the family to AWHI. 18 The Southern Initiative
Above: Mould on the walls and ceilings in the lounge (left). Mould on the children's mattresses (right).
When the AWHI assessor visited, permission. At this visit the builder
she noticed that there was a lot noticed that the landlord had
of mould in the home and it felt started on some of the repairs
very cold, so the family agreed to that the Minor Repair Service had
be referred to the Minor Repair identified as needed. Alisi said that
Service to see if they could help to their rent had increased by $50 per
improve the home. week but it was not clear if they
were due for a rent increase.
The Minor Repair Service builder
visited the family and talked The Landlord Liaison contacted the
about what the family could property management firm again.
do to make the home warmer After several calls the Landlord
and drier. He also found that the Liaison found that the responsibility
home was poorly maintained. for the property had changed
There was a significant roof within the company. The new
leak and a bathroom with no property manager agreed to the
external ventilation. These and Minor Repair Service adding some
other maintenance issues were safety latches to the windows so
contributing to a lot of mould. that the tenants could feel secure
opening them to ventilate
It took many attempts for the
the house.
Minor Repair Service to contact
the property manager. They At the visit to secure the new
emailed him the report and latches the home still felt cold
offered assistance and advice on to the builder. The Minor Repair
the EECA insulation subsidy. The Service provided the family with an
property manager said that the oil column heater and advice on
report was “absolutely wonderful” how to heat most effectively
and that would help him have a and cheaply.
conversation with the landlord
The property management
about getting the work done.
company subsequently fixed the
He appeared surprised about
roof. The Minor Repair Service
the EECA subsidy.
are still working with the property
The Minor Repair Service builder manager despite the case having
went back to undertake the repairs been with the Minor Repair Service
which did not require landlord for nearly a year.
The Southern Initiative 19Left: The lounge wall had rotted from the roof leak.
Above: No groundsheet or underfloor insulation.
There is space to install both, but under the house
needed clearing.
Right: New window latch and bubble
wrap covering the glass.
20 The Southern Initiative4. Compliance
Where the landlords do not remedy issues, there may be avenues
to enforce compliance through Council and Government agencies.
Landlords (and property managers these homes to see if the building was insanitary or dangerous according
as their agents) are required to to the Building Act. Many of the issues at this property were the result of a
provide tenants with a safe and combination of poor quality housing, lack of maintenance and the tenant
healthy home (as set out by various behaviour, for example the tenant confirmed that they were not opening
laws and bylaws3). windows regularly to ventilate their home. However, the home had:
The Auckland Council’s Regulatory • external doors bolted locked from the outside
Compliance teams’ responsibilities
include investigating complaints of • windows that could not be opened due to a lack of maintenance
potential breaches of the Building
and Resource Management Act(s) • a PVC roof without gib in parts or insulation and was therefore
and as appropriate, enforcing extremely cold.
the provisions under these Act(s)
regarding dangerous or in-
sanitary homes.
The MBIE Tenancy Compliance
and Investigations team are tasked
with enforcing the Residential
Tenancies Act 1986.
The co-design team has been
working with both compliance "...her cousin would always visit and
teams to test how to best ensure she would smell it herself as well as
properties are brought up Plunket did, they would say oh you
to standard. know what is that and we would tell
This includes, when each org- them oh it's the hole in the bathroom
anisation has a role and under that hasn't been fixed, like we've been
what legislation, and safeguard- complaining for ages and they're like
ing the whānau. yeah we're going to come do it, we're
going to come do it but still nothing
The MRS identified several homes
was done until we took it to court."
they thought might be dangerous
or insanitary, and where the – HHI whānau
landlord was difficult to engage
with to improve the home.
The co-design team asked
the Auckland Council Building
Compliance team to visit one of
3. e.g. Residential Tenancies Act 1986, Building Act 2004 and Building Code, Housing Improvement Regulations 1947, Council bylaws.
The Southern Initiative 21The Council Building Compliance Tenancies Act 1986 (Landlord’s teams on a case by case basis, if
team was confident that the house Responsibilities) was being we identify properties, which may
would not meet the definition of met. They identified issues that not comply with the legislation.
dangerous or insanitary in court they could act upon under the There is now an established
and it was their view that the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 pathway for all HHI to share
recently established MBIE Tenancy and are working with the landlord. information on suspected
Compliance and Investigations
The MBIE and Council teams non-complying landlords with
team would be better placed
have checked several other HHI the Tenancy Compliance and
to achieve warmer and drier
properties that may be in breach Investigations team. In Auckland
improvements to the property
of legislation. They have a range there is an established pathway
under the Residential Tenancies
to inform the Auckland Council
Act 1986. of tools to ensure compliance
Compliance team of possible
is met ranging from education
Therefore the MBIE Tenancy cases. They will undertake the
through to formal warnings, and
Compliance and Investigations necessary investigations and
in the most serious of cases, legal
team visited the same property determine if further action
enforcement.
particularly in view of whether can be taken. This prototype
Section 45 of the Residential We will continue to work with both is continuing to be tested.
The main legislation includes:
The Residential Tenancies Act 1986 requires The Building Act 2004 requires local councils
landlords to provide and maintain rental properties to have policies on dangerous and unsanitary
in a reasonable state of repair, and comply with all buildings.
relevant laws and bylaws including.
Buildings are considered dangerous if they’re
• Building Act 2004 and the Building Code likely to cause injury, death or damage to other
properties.
• Health Act 1956
Buildings are considered insanitary if they:
• Housing Improvement Regulations and • are offensive or likely to be harmful to health
bylaws set by individual councils under the
Local Government Act 2002. • don’t have enough protection against
moisture
The Housing Improvement Regulations 1947
are enforced by the relevant local authority. Their • don’t have an adequate supply of drinkable
purpose is to ensure that properties are warm, water, or
dry, safe and sanitary, by creating minimum
requirements that housing must meet. This • don’t have adequate sanitary facilities (such as
includes provisions for: a toilet or shower).
• room size, function and safety
A tenant can apply to the Tenancy Tribunal for a
• light, ventilation, drainage and dampness work order or other type of order if a landlord won’t
meet their responsibilities for providing a safe and
• overcrowding healthy home.
• sewerage and sanitation
• heating
22 The Southern InitiativeDaniel's family
had a disengaged
landlord
Daniel’s landlord had not fixed fixed their
home despite Daniel and the Minor Repair
Service contacting him many times.
Daniel and Sonia had rented their five bedroom
home for 10 years. It was originally a commercial
premise and was in poor condition. The family paid
more than $500 a week rent and did not receive an
accommodation supplement. All of Daniel’s three
children have had rheumatic fever and one may
need heart surgery. He is also the legal guardian of
his two young nieces who are frequently sick. The
family was referred to Kainga Ora by the rheumatic
fever nurse at the bicillin clinic.
At the Kainga Ora assessment, the family talked
about what was wrong with their home and the
HHI assessor referred the family to the Minor
Repair Service.
When the Minor Repair Service visited they found
a number of problems. The home was very cold
and draughty.
The Southern Initiative 23Above left: The kitchen and main living areas had plastic roof sheets with no insulation
Above right: Windows in the home were broken and putty was coming away from the rotting timber window frames
Very little maintenance had been Another attempt was made to The Tenancy Compliance and
done over the past 10 years. When contact the landlord after a month Investigations team thought it
Daniel has asked for repairs, the but he could not be reached. was reasonable to insulate the
landlord had suggested that Daniel Daniel wanted a better home for ceiling. However, this would not
do them himself because the his family, however it took many be required until July 2019. After
house was going to be demolished months for the family to find a a number of months of looking
eventually. The landlord had the property large enough. In the the family found another home
toilet glued four times when it meantime, Daniel had been clear and the Tenancy Compliance and
needed screws - it was still broken. that he didn’t want another family Investigation team are working
to live in these conditions. The with the landlord to ensure another
Daniel bought some silicone
MBIE’s Tenancy Compliance and family does not live in this property
and patched the shower himself.
Investigations team came to check in its current condition.
The landlord liaison phoned
the landlord who said he was if the property complied with the
going away for a month. In the Residential Tenancies Act 1986.
meantime, the Minor Repair They concluded that the home
Service: was in not in a reasonable state of
• applied sealant around repair including missing fire alarms
the windows and other fire hazards such as
bedroom doors padlocked from
• covered the broken windows the outside.
• covered the windows with
bubble wrap to help with
insulation - they had to be very
careful so the glass would not
fall out
24 The Southern InitiativeAbove: There was severe mould on bedroom
ceilings and in other rooms
Left: In places outside the ground level was high,
making the walls damp.
The Southern Initiative 255. Curtain supply prototype
To meet the increased demand for curtains from the HHI expansion the
Auckland curtain banks needed to increase their supply of lined correctly
fitted and hung curtains.
Curtains are key to insulating a home, as 21-31% of heat is lost through windows in an uninsulated house.
For a house insulated pre-2007 levels, windows account for the largest proportion of heat loss (42-45%)4.
This prototype tested what was needed to ensure that all whānau received curtains that were effective in stopping
heat loss. Initial testing with the South Auckland Curtain Bank (SACB) identified a need to increase their supply
substantially and change their curtain standards. Improving curtains for AWHI and Kainga Ora whānau in private
rental and owner occupied homes required a multi-pronged approach:
• improving understanding
across multiple agencies about
how curtains worked and why
it is important to have them
correctly measured, lined
and installed
• providing (where possible)
doubled lined curtains for
all rooms except toilets and
bathrooms. Previously they
were supplied for less rooms
due to limited resources
• adding staffing capacity at the
SACB to meet the demand for
effective curtains created by the
increase in HHI referrals
• making delivery and installation
of curtains much simpler
for whānau.
Ill-fitting curtains
4. BRANZ
26 The Southern InitiativeImproving the three high schools in late 2016, drive by collecting and delivering
collecting approximately 100 the curtains to the SACB and Vision
understanding of
curtains. This identified that West Curtain Bank. Approximately
effective curtains working with community 500 more curtains were collected
To increase understanding organisations could increase during the extension.
about good quality and correctly the supply of donated recycled
One of the learnings from the
installed curtains, the co-design curtains and the SACB took
curtain drive was that people
team documented the key over contacting schools in
replace curtains as their needs
components of effective curtains. early 2017.
dictate; therefore, the opportunity
This knowledge formed part of
The co-design team organised to recycle needs to be ongoing.
discussions with key implementing
an Auckland-wide online ‘call for The additional curtain collection
organisations including the MRS
curtains” through Auckland Council points have agreed to support the
and curtain banks.
in mid-June 2017. Collection drive until at least the end of 2018
This information was reinforced in points were organised across and advertising will be ongoing.
the Home Performance Advisor Auckland, with three Council
About 10-15% of curtains collected
training that was delivered to HHI community centres and Habitat
were not fit for repurposing, and
assessors and other key staff. for Humanity supplementing
reusing donated curtains is slightly
the existing collection points.
more time consuming than sewing
Approximately 100 curtains were
Increasing the supply new ones given they need to be
collected and it was decided
of recycled curtains sorted, washed, frequently resized
to extend the curtain drive and
and lined.
To test the supply of recycled increase advertising (through
curtains, the co-design team community newspapers). Habitat
organised curtain drives with for Humanity assisted the curtain
The South Auckland Curtain Bank team receives secondhand curtains
The Southern Initiative 27Increasing the supply belong to them, so to keep any
landlord curtains to rehang when
of new curtains
they leave the property.
As the demand for curtains
increased, the co-design team To meet the demand for curtains,
wanted to investigate how much stakeholders realised we needed
it would cost to get new curtains to increase the capacity of the
sewn in comparison to refitting Curtain Banks long term. Habitat
second-hand curtains. Habitat for for Humanity has been working
Humanity assisted the SACB by closely with the SACB in aligning
securing 1100m of donated curtain the delivery and installation of
material from Guthrie Bowron. The curtains and is now responsible for
added staffing capacity enabled managing the curtain bank.
new curtains to be sewn with
this material.
Comparison
We found that repurposing curtains
was 10-15% more expensive than
sewing from new material but
had the added benefit of diverting
those curtains from landfill. As
the supply of recycled curtains is
variable, therefore a supply of new
curtains will always be needed. At
the time of publication increasing
the supply of ready-made curtains
is being investigated at the
national level.
Linking with the MRS
for measurement and "It's heaps warmer,
installation
Previously curtains were measured
by HHI assessors as part of their
it's the warmest
initial home visit. Discussions with
assessors and whānau identified
the house has
an inconsistency in measurement
and that the task was at times ever felt..."
time consuming.
– HHI whānau after receiving curtains
It was decided that the MRS
builders measure for curtains
when they undertake their initial
home assessment.
The MRS then provided the SACB
with the measurements for the
required curtains and collected and
installed the curtains once made.
Whānau are told the curtains
28 The Southern Initiative6. Home performance
training
Tailored Home Performance training was organised to strengthen
understanding of how to keep a home warm, dry and healthy.
The co-design team worked with the nationwide
Home Performance Advisor programme to develop
training that was tailored to meet the needs of
the Auckland HHI. The programme covered how
healthy homes are linked to healthy people, what a "If I understand how to
healthy home needs to have, and what households make a house warmer and
can do to improve their home’s performance to healthier...I can explain
support their health.
and have a knowledgeable
Over 50 HHI assessors and other related people
discussion by sharing and
from AWHI and Kainga Ora participated in the two
daylong courses (one early 2017 and one late 2017). offering cost-effective ways."
The feedback from participants was positive and – HHI assessor
regular joint AWHI/Kainga Ora courses are planned.
This training has also been tailored for local
community delivery, as explained in section 7
Empowerment Models.
The Southern Initiative 29Key home performance messages delivered during these trainings included:
• how the home works together as a whole
• how to keep the heat in your home - what are good curtains and how to use them effectively, draught
stopping, the importance of insulation and simple secondary glazing options including bubble wrap
• why it is important to reduce moisture in the home and cost effective ways to achieve this
• how to best ventilate the house to remove moisture - dry air is easier and cheaper to heat
• the importance of heating and how to heat more efficiently.
Attendees were taught the basic science behind the messages they were delivering to whānau.
With this, they are better able to understand, remember and explain to whānau why actions are required.
The co-design team is continuing to work with whānau in delivering their training. Regular training
for AWHI and Kainga Ora staff is being refined for delivery in 2018.
Draught stopping around a door frame
30 The Southern InitiativeBubble wrap applied as secondary window glazing
"Not only can it be used in what I
do in my workplace, but I can also
apply this in my own home and
share with family and friends."
– HHI assessor
The Southern Initiative 317. Empowerment models
A community of whānau working with the Kootuitui Ki Papakura Trust tested
if home performance education could be shared through a peer to peer
model to empower communities to make improvements themselves.
An opportunity to test an Home performance The first home assessed in
empowerment model arose Papakura on a sunny September
training
through TSI’s work with partners morning was very cold. Habitat
The Kootuitui whānau and co-
Kootuitui Ki Papakura Trust and for Humanity taught the whānau
design team worked together
Kootuitui whānau. how to apply draught stopping
to develop a training tailored for
The Kootuitui Ki Papakura Trust whānau in which they learned and bubble wrap, and correctly
supports three strands of work the key components of home install full-length curtains. The co-
with six Papakura schools and performance. Eight of the whānau design team was able to assist with
whānau - education, health and participated in home performance requesting HNZ to get the home
homes. The homes strand is being training so they could spread insulated and the process helped
led by Kootuitui whānau with the that knowledge in their own the co-design team understand
support of the Kootuitui Whānau community. This built on training the importance of whānau
Engagement Facilitator and the TSI. they had already had in tenancy knowing what to ask for so they
This model reaches whānau who services and financial literacy. can advocate for themselves.
HHI may not be aware of or have The training was reinforced by Those changes have resulted in a
struggled to engage with. immediately assessing two of their warmer home - the whānau feel
own homes alongside Habitat they can now have grandchildren
Ko Huiamano for Humanity and the Auckland back in the home.
Also using a co-design process, Council’s Eco Design Advisor.
the Kootuitui whānau developed a
peer to peer training and skill share
prototype called “Ko Huiamano”,
which is based on the key
principles:
• Whakawhānaungatanga:
connecting with people
• "Fill my kete, fill your kete”:
empower whānau champions
with accurate information
and skills and help them to
share that knowledge and
empower other whānau
• strengths-based approach:
acknowledge whānau in
Papakura are best placed to
design local solutions that will In-house training with Kootuitui whānau
contribute to better housing
and social outcomes.
32 The Southern InitiativeA second private rental home was community needs and has the
assessed and upgraded by the flexibility to adapt to opportunities
Kootuitui whānau. They installed as they arise. The knowledge
draught stopping, bubble wrap and remains in the community and
some curtains. During this process, is further embedded with each
whānau identified where their skills whānau that becomes involved.
and interests lay, with one member This is a proactive locality-
showing strong aptitude and based model.
interest in the physical repairs
process.
Continuing support
for Kootuitui
Kootuitui whānau will share their
housing knowledge with local
whānau. This includes education,
housing assessments and assisting
whānau with interventions to make
their homes warmer, drier and
healthier. The Kootuitui whānau
will start with simple interventions
such as draught stopping and
bubble wrap, referring to other
suppliers for more difficult work.
If eligible, whānau can be referred
to AWHI for further support if
they choose.
The “fill my kete fill your
kete” principle means the
empowerment will not stop there.
It is hoped that those whānau will
then support other whānau in their
understanding of how to make
their homes warmer and drier.
The co-design team is continuing
to work alongside the Kootuitui
whānau so that their continued
learning meets theirs and their
community’s needs. In the past
year, the enthusiasm and interest of
the whānau has expanded, as the
benefits have been realised in their
own homes. As their knowledge
has increased, the whānau have
identified further areas of interest,
and follow-up workshops have
been provided.
This local empowerment model
is responsive to whānau and
The Southern Initiative 338. Power
The cost of power was identified as a barrier for some whānau in heating
their homes. This prototype tested providing healthy homes education,
and assistance with heating costs.
Empathy interviews and key the home warm and dry, two The post power-
insights identified that even if months’ payments towards power payment survey showed
whānau were given a heater, ($150) and a post-survey (with $75
many did not use it. They often improvements in the
power payment). The payments
could not afford the power or were made directly to the family’s heating of homes
were concerned about how electricity account. The key including:
much heating would cost. A
findings are based on the 42
heating voucher prototype was • more whānau heating their
whānau who completed
identified during the brainstorming home and a corresponding
both surveys7.
session and further refined by key increase in use of electric
stakeholders including the AWHI heaters and a reduction in the
hub, Mercury Energy and TSI. Key findings from the number of whānau who used
In winters 2016 and 2017 we research were included: their electric oven to heat their
tested whether providing healthy home (see Main Way of Heating
homes education, and assistance • most whānau already under- chart)
with heating costs, impacted stood and implemented the
on how much whānau heated key components of keeping a • a reduction in the number of
their home. Empathy interviews home warm, dry and healthy whānau sleeping together to
were undertaken in 2016 with keep warm (60% of whānau
five whānau who were Mercury slept together frequently to
• most whānau managed their
Energy or GloBug customers5, keep warm in the pre-winter
power use tightly, understood
to better understand how and survey compared to 35% in the
their power bills, and had been
when they heated their home, post-winter survey).
a customer of Mercury or
their understanding of keeping
GloBug for a number of years While whānau identified
their home warm and healthy, and
how they approached electricity improvements in the warmth of
costs and payment. This informed • education needed to be their home, in the post-winter
a pilot in 2017 involving AWHI specific to the needs of whānau survey, many of the homes were
whānau who were recorded as - a user centric approach meant still cold. Nearly half of whānau
having insulation and curtains6 that while the key messages (48%) identified that their home
and who were Mercury or GloBug were always covered, the areas had been warmer over the
customers. The pilot, completed of focus differed based on the past two months, and a third
by 42 whānau included a pre- whānau need and interest. (33%) stated that it was partially/
survey, education on keeping sometimes warmer.
5. Mercury and its prepay service GloBug attended early stakeholder meetings and supported the power research.
6. Homes with insulation and curtains were chosen as these interventions reduce heat loss.
7. This was conducted in September and October so part of the improvements could relate to the mild spring.
34However when asked if their home
was very cold, 38% responded
yes, and 38% somewhat.
Heating of bedrooms remained
an issue with 71% of whānau
identifying that they did not have
enough heaters to heat
their bedrooms.
The Families Package Winter
Energy payment will provide
support to some HHI whānau.
We will investigate ways to
support whānau who will not
be eligible for the payment.
Main ways of heating
35
32
30
26
25
Number of Households
20
15
12
10 9
6
5 5 5
3 3
2 2
1
0
electric heater do not heat heat pump fireplace electric oven gas (portable)
pre-winter payments post-winter payments
The Southern Initiative 359. Leveraging other
resources
A number of housing improvement and assistance programmes in Auckland
have similar or complimentary objectives to the Healthy Homes Initiative.
By working together, whānau can access more interventions.
A key benefit of this process and Whau Local Board areas. The Habitat for Humanity has
was that stakeholders peripherally initially landlord driven programme been contracted to deliver the
involved in the HHI, or in delivering has since been expanded to have a programme which allows them
similar services were linked tenant focus. to funnel the different referrals and
together. Some of these are the landlord liaison is working with
The close fit of this programme
described below. both programmes.
with the MRS and the opportunity
to expand the MRS delivery to
Auckland Council include Healthy Rentals was Habitat for Humanity
Eco Design Advisors provide free, identified. Healthy Rentals is now The Home Repair Programme
independent advice to Auckland providing a range of interventions provides assistance to low-income
households on sustainable and that assist with energy efficiency homeowners who could not
healthier buildings, better use of to HHI whānau within the relevant otherwise undertake home repairs.
energy, water, and materials, and local board areas. This allows the It uses a mix of volunteers, donated
minimising waste. Advisors share whānau to benefit from more materials and repayment terms
information through presentations, improvements which might assist tailored to the family’s ability to
community workshops, one-on- them including: replacement of repay to help the homeowners
one meetings and in-home advice. incandescent bulbs with LED continue to live independently and
The Eco Design Advisor service bulbs; providing a thermostat- securely in their homes. The Home
has been a key adviser to the co- controlled portable heater or a Repair Programme has been used
design team and is also a service thermostat if needed for an existing where HHI homeowners have
that is offered to homes that do heater; and wrapping the hot water significant repairs beyond the
not meet the HHI eligibility criteria. cylinder and lagging the pipes. scope of the MRS.
Healthy Rentals provides a free
independent home assessment,
and partial subsidies for im-
provements including insulation,
heat pumps, bathroom ventilation
and groundsheets. It focuses on
improving housing quality for
tenants with low income or health
conditions related to cold, damp,
mouldy housing. Initiated by the
Auckland Council Eco-
Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board Design Advisor teams up
in 2013/2014, the programme is with Habitat for Humanity to
now also provided in the Māngere- support whānau training.
Ōtāhuhu, Papakura, Puketāpapa
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