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It is a good idea to look on the shelves at HV515.5 and HN930.5.A8 which have books on NZ social policy. If you look up their indexes for housing you can find the ones that cover this topic.
Book in the High Use Collection at HV515.5 SOC for 3 day loan for chapter 18 on housing.
Hassall, G., & Karacaoglu, G. (Eds.). (2013). Social policy practice and processes in Aotearoa New Zealand : Massey University https://ara.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/64ARA_INST/k0on26/alma995281933604431
Other books with sections on housing
Cheyne, C., O’Brien, M., & Belgrave, M. (2008). Social policy in Aotearoa New Zealand (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. – p.187-189 https://ara.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/64ARA_INST/1b8ufmk/alma992977143504431
O’Brien, M. (2008). Poverty, policy and the state : social security reform in New Zealand. Policy. https://ara.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/64ARA_INST/k0on26/alma991816113504431
For a tangata whenua, indigenous Māori perspective on this topic the following ebook may be useful:
Peters, E. J., & Christensen, J. (Eds.). (2016). Indigenous homelessness : perspectives from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. University of Manitoba Press.
Which includes the following chapter:
Brown, D. (2016) Chapter 16 Tūrangawaewae kore: nowhere to stand. This chapter describes the journey to homelessness for Māori beginning with landlessness; an inherited outcome of the colonial acquisition of indigenous resource to support pakeha settlement. Colonisation caused severance from land and family. (p.333) In 1948 the state housing system attracted Maori to urban areas to be resettled among pakeha through the “pepper-potting” policy especially designed to break ancestral links and suppress customary behaviours and hasten assimilation into Western culture. (p.348). By the 1950s the policy became unsustainable due to too many Māori moving to cities so mortgages in the form of State Advances attempted to overcome the discrimination Maori experienced from lending institutions when trying to buy a house. A more dramatic policy that was devastating to Maori housing needs was the 1992 Housing Restructuring Act which marked a shift from income related rents ot market rentals in the state housing sector which led to doubled tenants’ rents p.349
Website
Barber, P. & Ika, A. (2025, February). State of the nation 2025 . Salvatian Army. Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit. https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/TSA_SOTN25_DownloadVersion.pdf?utm_source=web&utm_medium=button&utm_campaign=SOTNsummary [Include an overview on causes of housing issues on page 39.]
Legislation
Kāinga Ora – Homes and communities Act 2019, No.50. (2019) https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2019/0050/latest/whole.html?
Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. (2023, October 4). Kāinga Ora Homes and Communities Act. https://www.hud.govt.nz/our-work/kainga-ora-homes-and-communities-act-2019 [Outlines the key principles of this Act].
Other agencies that tackle housing poverty
Controller and Auditor-general (2017, December). Using information to improve social housing services. https://oag.parliament.nz/2017/social-housing/docs/social-housing.pdf [About Housing New Zealand]
Ika, A. (2022, November). Tales from the Trenches: the realities of housing in New Zealand. Salvatian Army Social Policy & Parliamentary Unit. https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/sppu_talesfromthetrenches_nov2022.pdf
Barber, P. (2025, January). Tackling rental affordability in communities. Salvatian Army Social Policy & Parliamentary Unit. https://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Rental-Affordability-Report-2025.pdf
Christchurch City Council. (2021). Community housing strategy 2021-2031. https://ccc.govt.nz/assets/Documents/The-Council/Plans-Strategies-Policies-Bylaws/Strategies/Community-Housing-Strategy-FINAL-WEB.pdf
Articles in databases on social housing
To find articles, use Library Search and limit your search to `'peer-reviewed" and "date of publication" in the last 10 years for current articles.
See an example of a search on Library Search on social housing here.