About us
This Resource Hub was developed following several years work by a cross-sectoral Community of Practice, as part of a project led by Wellington Regional Healthy Housing Group (WRHHG)
The advice and communication tools presented here are the product of an action research project, funded by Todd Foundation and the BRANZ Building Research Levy and carried out between early 2021-April 2026. The project sought to find better ways to explain the job our homes need to do to support us to be healthy and live full lives.
The research helped us understand how decision-makers, the media and people in New Zealand think and talk about housing. By understanding the current ways of thinking and talking, we were able to identify more helpful ways of explaining decent homes and the job they do to provide a foundation for our lives.
Changing how we talk about decent homes takes intention and practice. The tools available on this site have come from the action research, the work of narrative and framing organisation The Workshop, and the hands-on experiences of a community of practice focused on actively changing how they communicate about decent homes. As we’ve applied the research findings and advice to our communications, we’ve created tools and examples to help other people who want to better explain decent homes.
Who we are
The Action Research work from 2021-2026 was driven by a Communication Working Group and supported by a Research Advisory Panel. Members of these groups brought expertise and connections from diverse stakeholders including:
- Sustainability Trust
- Beacon Pathway/ Home Performance Advisor
- Healthy Home Cooperation / Passive House Institute of NZ (PHINZ) Canterbury Chapter
- Habitat for Humanity Central Region
- Habitat for Humanity Northern Region
- Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ)
- He Kāinga Oranga – The Housing and Health Research Programme, University of Otago
- Tū Kotahi Māori Asthma and Research Trust
- Eco Design Advisor network
- Narrative and framing specialists previously part of The Workshop
Others who have been involved at different times in the Communication Working Group and Community of Practice and helped inform the resources came from organisations including Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority (EECA), Health NZ / Te Whatu Ora, Sustainability Options, the Healthy Homes Initiative (HHI) Communicators Network, Community Energy Network (CEN), New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC), and various local councils.
