News | NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities

— Latest News

Budget 2023 goes a long way to improving housing and wellbeing

Media release

Fri 19 May 2023

Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman comments on key announcements in the recent 2023 Budget which have implications for housing and public health. These include new public housing, extending the Warmer Kiwi Homes’ Programme, and investment in infrastructure. The Professor outlines where and how these initiatives will help housing in Aotearoa New Zealand
What does climate change adaptation actually look like?

Newspaper article

Wed 15 Mar 2023

Philippa Howden-Chapman and Ralph Chapman were interviewed for this Spinoff article on adaptation to climate change and featuring a local level response at an iwi farm near Wellington.
Housing and urban regeneration in Aotearoa New Zealand

Briefing

Fri 24 Feb 2023

Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman, Professor Nevil Pierse and Dr Brodie Fraser highlight in this briefing that improving New Zealand's housing is a critical policy issue to better enable all people to access warm, dry, safe, affordable housing.
A greater proportion of public housing in communities supports tenant health

Media release

Sun 9 Oct 2022

Recently-published research has found public housing tenants living in areas with a higher proportion of public housing actually had better health outcomes than those living in areas with lower densities of public housing tenants.
New research partnership will help improve council homes

Media release

Thu 7 Jul 2022

Wellington City Council has put out a Media Release on their research collaboration with the NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities on the Public Housing & Urban Regeneration Programme funded by MBIE.
Think outside the box on housing for sustainable future, researchers urge

Media release

Wed 15 Jun 2022

New Zealand urgently needs to increase the diversity and quality of its housing stock if it is to meet its goal of reducing the country’s carbon emissions by 2030 and meet the needs of our diverse population, researchers at the University of Otago say.
Interview with Dr Crystal Olin

Interview

Fri 8 Apr 2022

Dr Crystal Olin was interviewed recently by Liam Hansen of Radio 95bFM about efforts to green our cities. This was in the wake of the release of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report warning that without immediate action the earth could reach a 1.5 degree Celsius rise in temperature by 2030.

Please listen to the Radio 95bFM interview with Dr Crystal Olin
The science of a healthier home

Video

Wed 2 Mar 2022

A BBC film presented by He Kāinga Oranga - Housing and Health Research Programme: Unlocking the science—How can science connect the dots between disciplines and communities? Please watch the film The Science of a Healthier Home
Some forecasts for the year ahead

Newspaper article

Mon 31 Jan 2022

Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman analyses the challenges of housing in 2022, how Kāinga Ora is leading the way with major developments and the need for government investment.
National Portrait: Philippa Howden-Chapman – the woman whose home truths have made our houses healthier

Interview

Sat 11 Dec 2021

Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman was interviewed by Stuff reporter Ethan Te Ora about her long research career working to improve the quality of Kiwi homes
Housing researchers win the Rutherford Medal, NZ’s top research honour

Media release

Mon 15 Nov 2021

Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman and team are awarded the 2021 Rutherford Medal.
Rethinking breathing: How to end the pandemic

Newspaper article

Mon 15 Nov 2021

Researcher Dr Julie Bennett outlines the importance of good indoor air quality to health and how to achieve it.
Spotlight on housing: new report looks at growing inequity in housing in Aotearoa and possible solutions

Media release

Wed 20 Oct 2021

A report published today puts a spotlight on housing through a fairness lens and finds that differences in housing are a large contributor to inequity in New Zealand.
Funding for new research on public housing & urban regeneration

News

Mon 14 Sep 2020

A University of Otago research proposal has been awarded an Endeavour Fund 2020 grant of $12,393,935 (excluding GST) by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

What needs to be done to New Zealand’s cities as water levels rise

Interview

Mon 2 May 2022

New Zealand has three "big choices" to make to safeguard against impending sea level rise, according to a researcher specialising in sustainable cities. Dr Crystal Olin, a researcher with the Univ
Well designed bus stop bypasses can improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians

Report

Wed 9 Mar 2022

Master's student Keren Love carried out research into bus stop bypass designs around Wellington City over the summer of 2020/2021.
Report on housing lacking basic amenities

Report

Wed 10 Nov 2021

Researcher Helen Viggers talks about a recent report on the lack of basic amenities in Kiwi homes.
New Zealand’s slow-moving transport problem

Newspaper article

Wed 10 Nov 2021

Adjunct Professor Ralph Chapman of Victoria University of Wellington examines the tensions between New Zealand climate change objectives and the Government’s vehicle emissions policy.
High inflation forces families to choose between basics

Interview

Mon 18 Oct 2021

Dr Kimberley O'Sullivan, Otago University researcher at He Kāinga Oranga, Housing and Health Research Programme, was interviewed by Māni Dunlop for Radio New Zealand’s Midday Report on 18 October 2
Public Health Summer School symposiums 2021

News

Tue 16 Feb 2021

We held two Public Health Summer School 2021 symposiums at the University of Otago Wellington in February. Building for zero carbon by 2050 and Eviction and its consequences.
Book launch of Improving Buildings, Cutting Carbon

Video

Tue 16 Feb 2021

We recently launched the New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities’ latest book Improving Buildings, Cutting Carbon.
Submission on Wellington’s draft spatial plan

News

Mon 12 Oct 2020

Recently a team of researchers from the New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities submitted to Wellington City Council on its draft spatial plan.
Climate Change Commission on transforming transport & cities in NZ

Submission

Thu 3 Sep 2020

On behalf of the NZ Centre for Sustainable Cities, Associate Professor Ralph Chapman and Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman have made a submission to the newly established Climate Change Commission.
Covid response reveals hidden homelessness. Calls for national strategy

Interview

Thu 11 Jun 2020

Lynn Freeman talks to Clare Aspinall at the University of Otago in Wellington who is currently researching the benefits and challenges of using the Housing First approach in a New Zealand context o