Source
https://communityfinance.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/CF-Impact-Report-2024-Final-1.pdf — original source (opens in a new tab; the file is not redistributed)
Domain routing: d04_sustainable_habitat_building · edt_ssi_convergence
Summary
Community Finance (NZ social enterprise, est. 2019, wholly owned by Positive Capital) annual impact report for 2024. Documents investment trust management financing five charitable Community Housing Providers (CHPs) — CORT, Ka Puta Ka Ora Emerge Aotearoa, Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust, Penina Trust, and the Salvation Army — providing affordable social housing with long-term Government income-related rent subsidy. Also covers the Positive Property Fund co-ownership model and the 2024 launch of the Community Housing Funding Agency.
Key claims
NZ housing crisis:
- NZ Housing Register: 21,294 households (October 2024); estimated
14 billion social housing deficit at650,000 per new home required - HUD FY2024 (July 2023–June 2024): 22,922 Housing Register applicants; 13,415 CHP IRRS tenancies; 219 median days to be housed; $2,166M IRRS spend; 364,131 receiving Accommodation Supplement; 97,913 receiving TAS
- Total government housing subsidies:
4.4b/year; unit costs: emergency housing58k/year, public housing $18k/year - ~60% of low-income households spending >40% of income on rent (Shamubeel Eaqub, Economist)
Affordability standards:
- NZ affordability threshold: <30% of disposable income on housing (Stats NZ/MSD standard measure)
- Income-related rent (IRR): set at 25% of tenant’s income by MSD; applies to all CHP IRRS tenancies
Homestar energy savings (NZD/year, NZGBC estimates):
| Dwelling | Location | Homestar 6 | Homestar 7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit | Auckland (CZ1) | $416 | $575 |
| Unit | Wellington (CZ3) | $526 | $744 |
| Unit | Christchurch (CZ5) | $554 | $844 |
| Standalone | Auckland (CZ1) | $296 | $520 |
| Standalone | Wellington (CZ3) | $644 | $950 |
| Standalone | Christchurch (CZ5) | $760 | $1,169 |
Note: based on averaged NZ house heating and hot water use; actual savings vary with size, layout, and operation.
Health and wellbeing outcomes:
- Hospital bed nights (severe/persistent mental health patients): mean 122 nights/year before CHP housing → mean 10 nights/year after (ImpactLab analysis, linked CHP + DHB data 2014–2020)
- Warm Up NZ: Heat Smart programme demonstrated marked reduction in paediatric hospitalisations due to respiratory conditions (He Kāinga Oranga evaluation)
- CHP tenant surveys (2024): across five CHPs, 68–90% report housing contributes positively to overall wellbeing; 84–91% feel included in their housing community; 80–87% feel safe in their homes
- CORT: average tenure 6 years; 87% housing enables other life goals; 90% contributes positively to wellbeing
- Salvation Army (SASH): 73% of new tenants report power costs lower than previous property; 91% feel proud of where they live; 87% life improved
CHP portfolio (2024):
- CORT: 428 homes, 10 new; Emerge Aotearoa: 494 homes, 39 new; ŌCHT: 2,448 homes, 75 new (South Island’s largest non-govt CHP); Penina Trust: 237 homes, 26 new (NZ’s first Pacific CHP, est. 2016); Salvation Army: 556 homes, 31 new — all CHPs: 100% new homes meet Healthy Homes Standard
Co-ownership and financing:
- Positive Property Fund model: CHP 10% equity + 40% debt (25yr); impact investors 50% equity; at Year 25+ CHP has first option to purchase 100%
- Community Housing Funding Agency (CHFA, launched 2024): bond aggregator for NZ CHPs; Australia precedent (Housing Australia/NHFIC):
4.1b loans, 18,800+ homes,740m interest savings estimated
Key thesis insights
- $14b deficit + 21,294 on register contextualises the scale of NZ housing need that any intentional community model operates within
- CHP model (charitable governance + long-term govt funding + impact finance) demonstrates viable non-speculative housing at scale in NZ
- Income-related rent at 25% of income operationalises the affordability principle that community housing governance must build around
- Hospital bed-nights finding (122 → 10/year) provides the strongest available NZ quantitative case for housing as a direct health intervention
Research targets
Documents to retrieve
- [RT_055] Howden Chapman, Philippa, et al. (2021) — The Effects of Housing on Health and Well-Being in Aotearoa New Zealand — primary NZ housing-health evidence base; referenced in CF spotlight section. → I07, I10, thesis
- [RT_056] Riggs, Lynn, et al. — Environmental burden of disease from unsafe and substandard housing, New Zealand, 2010–2017 — quantifies disease burden from substandard housing in NZ. → I07, D04, thesis
Connections
Links to
EDT domains (1): D04: Sustainable Habitat & Building Technology
Concepts (1): EDT–SSI Convergence
Referenced by
SSI indicators (3): I01: Financial & Economic Self-Sufficiency · I07: Fulfilment of Basic Needs · I10: Psychological Self-Sufficiency
EDT domains (1): D04: Sustainable Habitat & Building Technology
Sources (1): OT_020
Concepts (1): Healthy Housing — Warmth, Dryness & Wellbeing