From Housing to Homes | The Salvation Army

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From Housing to Homes

Strategies to assist low and modest income New Zealand households into homeownership.
Posted February 25, 2005

> download the From Housing to Homes Report (PDF, 703KB)

Encouraging and facilitating homeownership has historically been a key plank in New Zealand government housing policy. Homeownership provides more stable and secure housing and therefore a more stable and secure lifestyle for the homeowning household. It also encourages savings and the creation of assets.

The benefits of homeownership are therefore collective as well as individual, contributing to the wealth and wellbeing of the nation. In recent years, however, homeownership rates in New Zealand have started to decline and this decline is expected to continue.

Changing preferences, student debt, affordability, sustainability, consumer debt, increasing market segmentations within a single housing policy environment, and households becoming stuck on the ‘housing continuum’ are all factors behind this trend.

Given the economic and social benefits of homeownership, in circumstances where homeownership is in decline, or unavailable to a significant group of households, government has a role in developing policies, mechanisms and partnerships to reverse this trend.