Our work
We believe the power of human rights sits with communities
The Aotearoa New Zealand Human Rights Foundation uses focused working groups to progress specific human rights by bringing together people with relevant experience, knowledge, and interest. Each group identifies its objectives and outputs, with the aim of bringing human rights to life in Aotearoa.
Our first working group focuses on the right to a decent home, recognising housing as foundational to dignity and wellbeing. It also recognises the connection of this right to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Working Group One: The right to a decent home
Started: January 2026
Why did we choose this working group?
A decent home is fundamental to dignity, health, whānau wellbeing, and participation in society. Yet many people in Aotearoa continue to live in homes that are unaffordable, unhealthy, insecure, or inaccessible. Many do not have a home.
Housing is particularly significant in the context of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, given the role that land confiscation, land loss, and housing policy have played in shaping inequities for Māori. In Aotearoa, there is a shortage of accessible homes, meaning people with disabilities often face particular barriers in finding a home.
Between 2021 and 2023, Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission did significant work on the right to a decent home, through its Housing Inquiry. However, little has been done to advance housing rights since the Inquiry, even as housing need has increased and recent government decisions have led to people becoming homeless.
It is for these reasons that the Human Rights Foundation chose to focus our first working group on the right to a decent home.
What does the right to a decent home mean?
The right to a decent home, also referred to as the right to adequate housing, includes more than shelter. It sets a minimum standard for the conditions housing must meet in order for people to live with dignity, participate fully in society, and enjoy other human rights.
As defined by the United Nations, realising the right to a decent home requires progress across seven “decency principles”:
- A home that is habitable: warm, dry, safe, and healthy
- Affordable housing that does not force people to sacrifice other basic needs
- Security of tenure, so people are not living in constant fear of displacement
- Accessibility, particularly for people with disabilities and older people
- Cultural adequacy and connection to whenua, whānau, and community
- Location: housing that enables access to employment, education, healthcare, and community life
- Access to core services: power, water, and other core services
Realising this right also requires meaningful participation and accountability. People must be able to take part in decisions that affect their housing, and the State must ensure there are effective ways to hold duty‑bearers - landlords, housing providers, and government agencies - to account. This includes mechanisms to address individual housing issues as well as to hold the wider housing system accountable.