Perspective with Jack Tame: Here's one interesting takeaway from the Census data

The latest Census data is out, with numbers for all sorts of data points from ethnicity, home ownership and income to gender and sexual identity. But the number that most interested me today is buried in the housing stats.

In 2018, when we last did the numbers, about one in every six New Zealand homes recorded mould bigger than an A4 piece of paper. More than 21 percent of households recorded dampness at home.

But despite our famously crappy housing stock, the numbers have meaningfully improved. Today, 18 percent of houses have dampness: a 3.4 percent improvement. And from one-in-six homes previously, one-in-seven households now records mould at home.

In real numbers, that's roughly 70,000 fewer damp homes and 50,000 fewer mouldy homes than we would have had if our housing was at the same standard as it was in 2018. That's a real success. 

So what's changed in that time? Obviously newer homes are more likely to be built to a better, warmer standard. But I also think you can credit some of that improvement to the healthy homes standards. And while, of course, bringing rental stock up to standard has come at an expense, it's surely nothing compared to the cost of healthcare for those who'd otherwise be getting sick in cold, damp homes. 

There's isn't all that much the previous Government can hang its hat on in terms of enduring change - but I reckon that policy is a winner.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, the latest census Stata is out with numbers for
all sorts of data points, from ethnicity, home ownership, and income,
to gender and sexual identity. But the numbers that most
interested me today are buried in the housing stats, and
at first glance they might not seem like the sexiest.
But get this back in twenty eighteen when we lasted
the numbers, about one in six households in New Zealand

(00:23):
recorded mold that was bigger than an a four piece
of paper in their house. Okay, you hit around that,
but one and six more than twenty one percent of
households at that time recorded dampness at home. But despite
our famously crappy housing stock, the numbers have meaningfully improved.
So today eighteen percent of houses have dampness, which is

(00:45):
what a three point four percent improvement, and from one
in six homes previously, one in seven households now records
mold at home. So in real numbers, that's roughly seventy
thousand fewer damp homes and roughly fifty thousand fewer MOLDI
homes than we would have had if our housing was
at the same standard as it was in twenty eighteen

(01:06):
and you've got to say that is real success. So
what's changed in that time, Well, obviously newer homes are
more likely to be built to a better, warmer standard,
but I also think you can you can credit some
of that improvement to the healthy home standards. And while
of course bringing rental stock up to standard has come
at an expense, it is surely nothing compared to the

(01:28):
cost of healthcare for those who would otherwise be getting
sick and cold, damp, moldy homes. There isn't all that
much that the previous government can hang its hat on
in terms of enduring change, But personally I reckon that
policy is a winner. For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive.

(01:48):
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