Home Owners and Buyers Association of New Zealand

Kiwis have always aspired to the security, wellbeing and identity a home provides.   Over 70% of household wealth is tied up in New Zealand's 1.7 million homes.  Sadly however, the poor state of housing in this country is putting health and wealth at risk.

New Zealand houses compare poorly to houses in countries with similar wealth and income.  45% of our homes are damp and mouldy and tens of thousands of dwellings across the country have serious construction defects.  Winter temperatures in our houses are 6°C below World Health Organisation recommendations and 375,000 New Zealand children are expected to be living in homes that are cold, damp and expensive to heat leading to many social and health issues.

Over the past 20 years there has been a steady decline in standards, skills and ethics in a building industry that has become more concerned about liability than quality.  At the same time the regulatory environment has failed to deliver decent quality homes and protect consumers.

Home owners are finding it harder and harder to get capable trades people they can trust to assist them with the assessment, repair and maintenance of their homes.  You only need to tune into TV One’s Fair Go program to see just how badly home owners are being treated.  Every owner has a story of a home that has failed them or an encounter with a tradesman they would rather forget.

The housing environment in this country is simply unacceptable and little is changing.  Short term policies and initiatives driven by self interest will not create the transformation required.  We need to create a new housing reality for New Zealand .

HOBANZ is a citizen movement for better New Zealand homes.  This is the catalyst required for change.