Healthy Homes - A Kiwi Dream: Episode 1

Asthma New Zealand presents Healthy Homes – A Kiwi Dream. A series of six episodes which showcase how homes are built and what can be done to make homes healthier which, in turn, keeps the people that live within them healthier.

Episode 1

Katheren, Chief Executive of Asthma New Zealand speaks to a variety of experts about the problem with our homes in New Zealand. Watch the video below to learn more.

In this episode Katheren speaks to a Building Enclosure Engineer, who talks a walk through a typical kiwi home to identify what can be done to improve the health of this home. The homeowners who suffer from Asthma discover what they need to do to make their home healthy.

Dr Nevil Pierse, Associate Professor, Deputy Director He Kāinga Ora, talks about the effects of unhealthy homes being linked to children’s diseases and ill health.

A staggering 28,000 children are hospitalised each year in New Zealand due to housing related diseases. It’s the same kids again and again, if you’re hospitalised due to a housing related disease, you’re 3.5 times more likely to go back to hospital again.

A house built today to the NZ building code in NZ, would not pass the Irish building code from when Dr Nevil Pierse was born.

Dr Pierse suggest that rather than try to find medical cures to the bad housing, let’s fix the housing.

Professor Philipa Howden-Chapman, Programme Director He Kāinga Ora is asked what she thinks would have the biggest impact on immediate change and her response is changes to the building code. We’ve been promised that we’re going to get a new building code, it’s been over 10 years since it’s been updated. It’s well below most countries in the OCD. We know from other countries such as Germany and Ireland, the things that are important. We need a new building code.

Chelydra Percy, CEO, BRANZ talks to Katheren about her experience of renovating her own home from damp, cold and unhealthy to a warm, dry, healthy home. How living in an unhealthy home impacted her family’s health and the improvement since the renovations.

David Kelly, Chief Executive, Registered Master Builders Association talks about the review of the building code and the need for continuous improvement. He also discusses how the building sector needs to work better together to improve the health of our homes.

John Sneyd, General Manager Building System Performance MBIE, talks about the review of the building code and their commitment to improving it.

The next episode comes out in June and focuses on what we can do to make our homes healthier.