What we currently do
Housing New Zealand has detailed design standards. These standards differentiate between the:
- Typical Standard, which is our current reflection of universal design principles;
- Diverse Standard, which includes more specialised features for particular groups, such as the elderly, those whose specific disabilities require accessibility features (e.g. hoists), and Community Group Housing, which often houses those with specific needs.
The Typical Standard has been translated into a series of Standard Designs for different types of homes. Standard Designs promote more cost-effective beginning to end construction, which is vital to meeting the targets set by Government. Some examples are Standard Designs for a:
- one-bedroom, one-storey house
- two-bedroom duplex
- five-bedroom house.
Note that not all of the Standard Designs fully confirm to universal design principles – for example, the two-storey duplex design does not have a bedroom or bathroom on the ground floor.
Issues and opportunities
Housing New Zealand’s Typical Standards for new builds are a reflection of universal design in Housing New Zealand’s context. Where there is a bathroom on the ground floor, Housing New Zealand’s standards stipulate it must be an adequate size. However, the standards do not require there to be a bathroom on the ground floor. This is an area that we have recognised we need to review.
We currently do not have good information about how many homes we are delivering against Housing New Zealand’s universal design standards. The wording of the standards notes that they will be delivered on a ‘where possible’ basis and we have started to design and deliver more homes that meet the standard. Feedback from Housing New Zealand staff about why we are not building more homes that meet our universal design standards includes:
- lack of specificity of what the ‘where possible’ standard means
- constraints of land (topography) which may, for instance, detract from flat access
- that we are constrained financially and need to be prudent with our spending
- design constraints such as fire code restrictions on people in wheelchairs being housed above the ground floor.
Next steps
- We will develop criteria and tools that allow staff to apply the standards more consistently.
- We will identify user groups and needs for their built environment.
- We will review the standards in light of this policy to ensure they remain fit for purpose. This may include considering a mandatory bathroom on the entry level.
- We will consider some new or modified Standard Designs to provide for accessible options across the range of types of homes Housing New Zealand builds.
What we currently do
As noted above, we know that we are designing and building more new homes that meet universal design standards. However, we do not have good information about how many new homes we are delivering that meet these standards. Housing New Zealand is in the middle of an unprecedented new build programme that goes beyond the major centres. While there are standard accessible designs for one-storey typologies, we know that the demands of building at higher density in the larger centres is requiring more terraced, duplex and apartment typologies, where fewer new builds will meet universal design principles. As part of this we are considering how other features of good building design can better support customers, for example adequate storage, and charging stations for mobility scooters.
Issues and opportunities
Including universal design (as defined by Housing New Zealand’s lifetime design standard) in new builds is likely to be the most cost-effective way for us to increase the number of accessible properties. This has been consistently reinforced through engagement with Housing New Zealand’s people and stakeholders. Many overseas jurisdictions have tried to set targets for the proportion of new builds that meet universal design principles (see Appendix A) although evidence of delivery is mixed. Certainly, key New Zealand stakeholders such as the Disabled Peoples Organisations Coalition have told us that an achievable target, that can be increased over time as circumstances allow and, importantly, can be monitored, is an essential part of any Accessibility Policy.
Next steps
- Set an initial target for Housing New Zealand’s new builds that meet universal design standards, as a proportion of new builds, which will be adjusted and monitored over time. This target will be set across all building types and all districts.
- We need to ensure that we do not disrupt the delivery of the homes we are already building, that is, those already under construction, contracted or in procurement – this means our starting place is the 37 percent of our current 4-year building pipeline that is still under design.
Target
Housing New Zealand’s stakeholders have a clear expectation that we set a target for our new builds that meet universal design standards. We already deliver some accessible new builds, particularly in the ‘regional’ one-storey and larger house typologies, and we have had a recent focus on ensuring that our new planned developments incorporate these features. However, we do not know what the proportion is of our new builds that meet these requirements. We are also aware that there are some typologies, notably two-bedroom, two-storey terraces and duplexes, where universal design is not fully met (for example, there is no bathroom on the ground floor). We need to undertake a benchmarking exercise and also investigate whether Housing New Zealand needs new or altered standard designs.
We propose that the Accessibility Policy sets a target of at least 15 percent of Housing New Zealand’s new builds meeting full universal design standards with all others incorporating as many as possible of the other (basic) universal design features. We would set the target so that in the financial year of 2020-20/21 it would be about setting initial benchmarks by typology and location. We would then monitor and report on a target from 2021-2022, which we would look to increase over time. Fifteen percent is at the lower end of some of the international strategies that we have seen; however, we also know that there have been challenges across different jurisdictions in meeting such targets. By comparison, the 2013 New Zealand Disability Survey found that 14 percent of New Zealanders had a mobility or agility impairment. Note that Housing New Zealand’s initial target of at least 15 percent of our new builds meeting our full universal design standards is about beginning to better meet our customers’ disability and accessibility needs beyond physical or mobility needs.
Over time, we aspire to have a target for all our new and existing homes.
What this could look like:
Financial year 2020-2021
- closely monitor and measure the percentage of Housing New Zealand’s accessible properties delivered (aiming for the at-least 15 percent target where possible).
Financial year 2021-20/22
- set an initial target of at least 15 percent for all of Housing New Zealand’s new builds delivered in the financial year by location and typology
- achieve this target
- include the target in our accountability documents to enable us to formally monitor and report on achievement.
What we currently do
The Retrofit Scope (Pilot 2)
- In the next 30 years, around 52,000 homes or 86 percent of our state houses require significant capital reinvestment in order to enable them to meet the needs of our customers. For each of these properties we need to make a decision about how we will renew them to provide the functionality and performance necessary for modern public housing, and to meet our customers’ needs. Around 34,000 of these properties will be renewed through retrofitting them.
- Over the last year Housing New Zealand has been piloting a retrofit programme as an additional tool (in addition to redevelopment and selling and replacing our assets) to renew our properties. The second pilot, which is expected to be completed between July and December 2019, includes accessibility modifications such as:
- Gib Toughline® added to hallway and toilet walls for increased durability
- Timber fixing for future grab rails in hall
- Grab rails to porch steps, toilet and shower.
Retrofit Programme roll-out
- In April 2019, the Housing New Zealand Board approved the formal addition of a retrofit programme to our options for managing the renewal of existing homes in our portfolio focused on resetting the lifecycle of key components such as cladding, roofing, piles and foundations and upgrading the thermal and functional performance of our homes. This programme also includes accessibility modifications in pilot 2.
- Housing New Zealand’s Asset Management Strategy 2018-2028 provides for 12,600 state houses to be retrofitted over the next 10 years with the remaining 21,400 homes completed within the following 10 years. The stage one roll-out, which was approved by Housing New Zealand’s Board, will result in:
- around 1,300-2,000 retrofits completed over the next three years in 8-12 lower priority regional areas in climatic zones 1 and 2 targeted towards the homes most in need of upgrading in these areas, and customers and their children with respiratory issues, at an advanced renewal and upgrade standard. This could include further renewals in the Hutt Valley
- the completion of the 200 homes from the Hutt Valley second pilot (already approved).
- The second pilot will be evaluated to inform future decisions about including accessibility as part of the scope in retrofits in the context of this Accessibility Policy.
Issues and opportunities
- All the research confirms that incorporating accessibility features retrospectively is always more expensive than incorporating accessibility into new builds. However, it is also true that our new build programme will not address existing properties, where the majority of Housing New Zealand’s customers live, and where a significant proportion of houses are nearing the end of their economic life without significant retrofit.
- An accessibility scope for existing properties could include widening doors, remodelling bathrooms, accessibility features in bathrooms, and wider footpaths. We need to balance the financial costs of retrofitting accessibility features in an existing home against making the home suitable for the people already living in it. Any significant retrofit programme that addresses accessibility will be costly.
Next steps
- Phase 1 of the retrofit programme included accessibility features. This will be evaluated to inform future decisions about including accessibility as part of the scope in retrofits, including how it is funded and financed.
- Housing New Zealand will report on the outcomes of our retrofit pilot and use the information learned from this pilot to help us set an achievable target for the percentage of our retrofitted properties that incorporate appropriate accessibility features.
We will know we are successfully delivering against this outcome when
- Our existing homes can be retrofitted to include accessibility features to meet our customers’ needs.