CHA Stories: Fran O’Connor

Toru Apartments, Queenstown

21 Apr 2025 - CHA Story - Show reader view

Topics: Accreditation · Community Models · Health & Wellbeing · Inclusionary Housing · Land Supply · Long-term Outcomes · Property Mamagement · Regulation · Tenancy Management · Tenures · Wrap-around Services

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The CHA HUB introduces a new regular feature bringing human experiences to the forefront of housing policy discussions. Whilst analysis of programmes, funding mechanisms, and legislative frameworks remains essential, CHA Stories centre the lived realities of people whose lives are profoundly shaped by housing access and security. Each Insight Report will feature authentic narratives from across Aotearoa, demonstrating how effective policies translate into tangible outcomes for real families and individuals.

This story spotlights Fran O'Connor, a resident of Toru Apartments in Queenstown - the mixed-tenure development where community housing tenants live alongside assisted ownership households and market-rate buyers. By showcasing success stories and real experiences, CHA Stories connects abstract policy concepts to their concrete human impact, ensuring that voices from the sector's coalface inform ongoing advocacy and programme development.

Latest articles

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Beyond the market fantasy

Article · 01 Dec 2025

Markets produce market outcomes, not affordable housing. Professor Laurence Murphy explains why Inclusionary Housing—proven effective internationally—must capture publicly created land value uplift to deliver homes for nurses, teachers, and police officers whilst maintaining developer profitability.

Inclusionary Housing policy recommendations from CHA

Article · 01 Dec 2025

Community Housing Aotearoa's eleven policy recommendations provide a comprehensive framework for implementing Inclusionary Housing in New Zealand, emphasising national legislation, perpetual affordability, mixed-tenure communities, and treating housing as essential infrastructure with stakeholder collaboration.

Chris Glaudel: Capturing the common good

Article · 01 Dec 2025

Chris Glaudel makes the case for embedding Inclusionary Housing into New Zealand's RMA reforms, capturing property value uplift from public investments to fund affordable housing and create balanced communities across all income levels.

Building partnerships, not barriers

Article · 01 Dec 2025

Claire Dickinson explains how Britain's Section 106 delivered 140,000 affordable homes in five years through national legislation, viability frameworks, and negotiated flexibility within clear policy parameters.

A planner's perspective

Article · 30 Nov 2025

Three New Zealand planners detail how Inclusionary Housing captures development value uplift for perpetual affordable housing, challenging market-only solutions in communities where essential workers cannot afford homes.

When principals become developers

Article · 30 Nov 2025

Wakatipu High School's principal Oded Nathan describes how Queenstown's housing crisis forces schools to manage property portfolios and approach developers for land, transforming education challenges into accommodation crises.

Community Land Trusts illustration. Hands holding and community of houses.

Holding land in perpetuity for community benefit

Article · 30 Nov 2025

Community Land Trusts hold land perpetually to maintain affordable housing across generations. Success requires Inclusionary Zoning policies, sector collaboration, and policy frameworks addressing planning, leasehold arrangements, and the private market's dominant role in housing delivery.

Jim Boult: A nest, not a 'nest egg'

Article · 30 Nov 2025

Former Queenstown mayor Jim Boult fought for Inclusionary Zoning despite fierce opposition, creating the Secure Home model that proves affordable housing solutions work in New Zealand's most expensive markets.

Aspen: Learning from a sister city

Article · 29 Nov 2025

Aspen's city manager Sara Ott shares how decades of Inclusionary Housing transformed skeptical developers into partners, creating vibrant mixed-income communities in a market where average homes cost $13 million.

Building mixed communities

Article · 29 Nov 2025

Inclusionary Zoning creates mixed-tenure developments that strengthen community cohesion and economic diversity. UK experience demonstrates that national frameworks, viability testing, and flexible delivery mechanisms enable successful affordable housing delivery whilst maintaining development viability.

Karamū in Christchurch

Article · 29 Nov 2025

Karamū is an 84-home Christchurch development demonstrating how voluntary Inclusionary Zoning delivers affordable housing. Through tenure-blind design and cross-subsidy funding, the project allocates 30% of homes to social housing whilst maintaining commercial viability, proving mixed-tenure communities can work.

No magic bullets required

Article · 28 Nov 2025

Dr Patricia Austin details how Queenstown's 20-year Inclusionary Housing success proves New Zealand needs national legislation enabling perpetual affordability mechanisms that capture development value for community benefit.

The 20,000 homes we never built

Article · 20 Nov 2025

New Zealand would have 20,000 perpetually affordable homes today had Inclusionary Housing been implemented in 2016. Dr Michael Rehm explains why Auckland's attempt failed and how Community Housing Providers are essential for future success.

Inclusionary Housing that works

Article · 13 Nov 2025

Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust's 21-year track record proves Inclusionary Housing works, capturing rezoning value uplift to house essential workers in New Zealand's most expensive district.

Charles Waldegrave: Restoring housing equity

Article · 15 Aug 2025

New Zealand's housing crisis stems from abandoning post-war state-supported home ownership. Restoring equity requires progressive ownership models, strengthened Community Housing Providers, inclusionary zoning, capital gains tax reform, and political courage to prioritise housing as critical infrastructure.ArtifactsDownload allInclusionary housing articleDocument · MD Project contentIndesign Article > MarkdownCreated by youAdd PDFs, documents, or other text to reference in this project.

The Community Housing Funding Agency

Article · 14 Aug 2025

CHFA leverages KiwiSaver funds and government partnerships to provide community housing providers with significantly lower interest rates, transforming New Zealand's housing finance through collective action, international best practice, and investment-grade financing mechanisms supporting affordable housing delivery.

Bernard Hickey: The 'Housing theory of everything'

Article · 13 Aug 2025

Bernard Hickey's "housing theory of everything" traces New Zealand's crises to housing shortage driven by 1980s policy shifts away from public investment. He advocates land tax, Crown-backed housing investment, and abandoning fiscal conservatism to reverse speculative investment patterns.

Jennifer Palmer: Redefining affordability

Article · 13 Aug 2025

Bridge Housing's leasehold Secure Home programme halves purchase prices by separating land from dwelling ownership, whilst shared equity schemes enable families earning $75,000-$130,000 to access home ownership through innovative banking partnerships and multi-sector collaboration.

Heiko Jonkers: Banking on change

Article · 12 Aug 2025

Westpac champions shared equity and leasehold mortgages as standard products for affordable housing, offering free advisory services to providers whilst advocating for policy consistency as the critical government lever to enable construction sector scaling and meaningful progress.

Sam Stubbs: Building for the long-term

Article · 11 Aug 2025

Simplicity's 100-year build-to-rent model leverages economies of scale, standardisation, and KiwiSaver patient capital to build apartments 30-40% cheaper, demonstrating housing as government bond-like investment requiring consistent government market signals rather than direct provision.

Paul Gilberd: Reshaping the financial system

Article · 11 Aug 2025

Paul Gilberd's comprehensive policy framework demands immediate financial infrastructure reform, national inclusionary zoning legislation, progressive home ownership scaling, capital gains tax on investment properties, empowered local government, and bipartisan 10-year housing strategies to transform New Zealand's housing system.

What does CHA do?

Article · 09 Aug 2025

Community Housing Aotearoa is New Zealand's peak body supporting 94 members providing community housing through advocacy, knowledge sharing, policy influence, and collaboration with government, financial institutions, and stakeholders to ensure all New Zealanders are well housed.

Introducing our Founding CHA Hub Partner

Article · 01 Aug 2025

Westpac New Zealand becomes CHA Hubs' founding partner, committing $1 billion in affordable housing lending by September 2027 whilst supporting CHA's development of essential toolsets, research, and insights for community housing providers across Aotearoa.

Paul Gilberd: What makes Community Housing Providers unique?

Article · 01 Aug 2025

Community Housing Providers deliver 30,000 homes across New Zealand through not-for-profit organisations with strong community connections, deep sector experience, and innovative approaches to mixed-tenure developments, united by commitment to housing as a human right.

Chris Glaudel: The state of the sector

Article · 01 Aug 2025

The community housing sector has grown from 3,467 homes in 2007 to 30,000 today through innovation, resilience, and adaptation across constantly shifting policy environments, with 88 registered CHPs delivering diverse housing solutions including social, transitional, affordable rental, and ownership pathways.

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Latest DeepDive videos

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Dr. Ganesh Nana

Video · 30 Nov 2025

Former Productivity Commission Chair Dr. Ganesh Nana discusses transforming New Zealand's economic model toward wellbeing-centred productivity, drawing on Māori concepts of kaitiakitanga and decades of experience challenging conventional growth-focused economics.

Mark Davey: A planner's perspective

Video · 24 Oct 2025

Hamilton City Planning Manager Mark Davey champions Inclusionary Zoning as a collaborative circuit breaker for housing affordability. Through the Future Proof partnership, Hamilton negotiates developer agreements trading infrastructure support for affordable outcomes, proving local innovation can align market forces with community needs.

Anita Vanstone: A planner's perspective

Video · 24 Oct 2025

Anita Vanstone explains how Queenstown captures land from rezoning to fund perpetual affordable housing, with 93% of Community Housing Trust capital coming from planning contributions. Facing a 7,000-home shortage, she argues market forces alone cannot deliver workforce accommodation communities need.

Emily Irwin: A planner's perspective

Video · 21 Oct 2025

In Queenstown's million-dollar market, Emily Irwin argues free-market supply can't deliver affordability in resort towns. She champions inclusionary housing mechanisms that capture land for perpetual workforce accommodation, challenging New Zealand's cultural fixation on property as investment rather than infrastructure.

Dr Patricia Austin: No magic bullets required

Video · 13 Oct 2025

Dr Patricia Austin explains how she helped create Queenstown's successful Inclusionary Housing programme and why New Zealand's legislative framework makes nationwide implementation challenging. She advocates reframing affordable housing requirements as economic development opportunities rather than social policy.

Dr Michael Rehm - The 20,000 homes we never built

Video · 13 Oct 2025

Dr Michael Rehm explains how New Zealand's failure to implement Inclusionary Housing has cost the country 20,000 affordable homes since 2016. He outlines why Auckland's earlier attempt failed and identifies community housing providers as essential to future success.

Meet the team: Talavao Ngata

Video · 12 Oct 2025

Talavao Ngata discusses Pacific communities' housing challenges in Auckland, challenging assumptions about Pacific housing needs while identifying churches as holding untapped potential. She advocates for capability building funding and more specific articulation of community housing requirements.

Prof Laurence Murphy: Beyond the market fantasy

Video · 12 Oct 2025

Professor Laurence Murphy explains why markets never deliver affordable housing and how Inclusionary Zoning captures publicly-created land value for social benefit. He challenges Treasury ideology and development fallacies while demonstrating international evidence that the policy works at scale.

Chris Glaudel: Capturing the common good

Video · 10 Oct 2025

Chris Glaudel makes the case for embedding Inclusionary Housing into RMA reform, drawing on California experience and Queenstown's success. He proposes national frameworks with local flexibility, capturing publicly-created land value for perpetual affordable housing through community providers.

Claire Dickinson: Building partnerships, not barriers

Video · 09 Oct 2025

Claire Dickinson explains how Britain's Section 106 delivers nearly half of England's affordable housing through national frameworks, viability controls, and negotiated flexibility. She offers New Zealand practical lessons from two decades of experience capturing planning value for community benefit.

Annie Willson: Building mixed communities

Video · 08 Oct 2025

Annie Wilson advocates for Inclusionary Zoning in New Zealand, drawing on UK experience to demonstrate how mixed-tenure developments create sustainable communities. She emphasizes the need for clear policies, developer certainty, and recognizing housing as critical infrastructure requiring comprehensive frameworks.

Jim Boult: A nest, not a 'nest egg

Video · 07 Oct 2025

Former Queenstown mayor Jim Boult fought developer opposition to implement Inclusionary Zoning in a $1.75 million average-home market. The innovative Secure Home model eliminates speculation while building equity, proving intervention works in expensive resort towns.

Thomas Gibbons: Community Land Trusts

Video · 06 Oct 2025

Thomas Gibbons advocates systemic policy reform to address housing affordability, emphasising that planning frameworks matter more than funding. Waikato Community Lands Trust's leasehold model could deliver homes at half freehold costs if banking barriers are resolved.

May Low: Community Land Trusts

Video · 02 Oct 2025

May Low's Waikato Community Lands Trust separates land from building value to create perpetual affordability. Starting with eight units, scaling requires Inclusionary Zoning and sector collaboration over empire-building to deliver stable housing as families' wealth foundation.

Harvey Brookes: Waikato Wellbeing Project

Video · 18 Sep 2025

Harvey Brookes discusses connecting UN Sustainable Development Goals to Waikato communities. This conversation explores the Housing Initiative, affordability challenges, and how water infrastructure, food insecurity, and housing costs intertwine in creating a place-based approach to wellbeing.

Dr. Kay Saville-Smith

Video · 01 Sep 2025

Dr. Kay Saville-Smith discusses three decades of housing research addressing older people's needs, rental market precarity, and affordable housing undersupply, combining sociological expertise with policy advocacy to challenge New Zealand's broken housing system.

Heiko Jonkers: Shared equity

Video · 21 Jul 2025

Heiko Jonkers discusses Westpac's role in sustainable finance and housing affordability. This interview explores how banks can enable affordable housing through evolving public-private partnerships and reimagined lending practices to build a more equitable future through finance.

Bernard Hickey: The 'Housing theory of everything'

Video · 15 Jul 2025

Bernard Hickey's "housing theory of everything" connects New Zealand's housing crisis to broader economic and social decline. He traces policy failures from the 1980s and proposes land tax and Crown investment to reverse speculative markets and rebuild affordable housing supply.

Paul Gilberd: Reshaping the system

Video · 09 Jul 2025

Comprehensive policy framework for transforming New Zealand's housing system through government-backed bonds, multi-decade contracts, national inclusionary zoning, progressive ownership models, strategic tax reform, and cross-party stability. Proven international solutions requiring political will and coordinated implementation.

The Community Housing Funding Agency

Video · 03 Jul 2025

James Palmer's Community Housing Funding Agency transforms housing finance by connecting KiwiSaver funds with community providers, refinancing 8% loans at low 4% rates. Aggregating $2 billion in borrowing power, CHFA offers a sustainable model for addressing New Zealand's housing crisis.

Sam Stubbs: Building for the long-term

Video · 01 Jul 2025

Sam Stubbs demonstrates how Simplicity's build-to-rent model uses long-term thinking, economies of scale, and patient capital to deliver affordable apartments costing 30-40% less. He argues housing at scale becomes low-risk investment whilst providing social stability and dignity.

Charles Waldegrave: Restoring housing equity

Video · 18 Jun 2025

Historical analysis reveals how New Zealand shifted from post-war home ownership success to today's crisis through 1991's mortgage privatisation. Advocates progressive ownership schemes, inclusionary zoning, and capital gains tax to restore equity, arguing political will outweighs economic barriers.

Meet the team: Chris Glaudel

Video · 26 May 2025

CHA Deputy CEO Chris Glaudel leverages decades of US housing experience to advocate for funding certainty, relationship-driven progress, and redirecting subsidies toward Māori and non-profit ownership in Aotearoa's community housing sector.

What makes community housing providers unique?

Video · 24 Apr 2025

Housing sector interviews reveal community housing providers' distinctive strengths: deep local connections, mission-driven focus, and comprehensive tenant support that enable tailored solutions and long-term commitment weathering policy changes.

Julie Scott: Inclusionary Housing that works

Video · 22 Apr 2025

Julie Scott explains how Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust captures rezoning value uplifts to deliver perpetual affordability, advocating national Inclusionary Housing legislation to scale their 21-year proven model nationwide.

Meet the team: David Zussman

Video · 22 Apr 2025

David Zussman manages CHA's engagement and support, drawing on UK and New Zealand housing experience from London councils to Monte Cecilia Housing Trust, combining community development expertise with passionate sector advocacy.

Jade Kake

Video · 20 Apr 2025

Architect Jade Kake discusses papakāinga resurgence, kaupapa Māori design practice, and decolonising architecture through Matakohe Architecture and Urbanism, combining community-led development with policy advocacy and groundbreaking te reo Māori architectural registration.

Tama Potaka

Video · 19 Apr 2025

Minister for Māori Development and Conservation Tama Potaka discusses his background in corporate law, iwi leadership, and public service, bringing strategic expertise to advance kaupapa Māori and empower whānau across Aotearoa.

CORT CEO Stephen Hart

Video · 18 Apr 2025

CORT CEO Stephen Hart discusses the organisation's growth from church initiative to leading social housing provider, innovative partnerships delivering hundreds of affordable homes, and how supportive housing models transform lives across Auckland.

Craig Dixon: Naylor Love

Video · 18 Apr 2025

Craig Dixon, Community Living Project Director at Naylor Love, discusses the essential elements of healthy homes and outlines practical steps to make quality, affordable housing the standard across New Zealand's construction industry.

Shamubeel Eaqub

Video · 17 Apr 2025

Economist Shamubeel Eaqub discusses housing inequality, regional disparities, and KiwiSaver policy reform, bringing accessible economic analysis to New Zealand's most pressing challenges through influential publications and his current role at Simplicity.

Jacqueline Paul

Video · 14 Apr 2025

MIT PhD researcher Jacqueline Paul discusses Indigenous design principles, youth homelessness, and constitutional dimensions of housing, bridging traditional Māori knowledge systems with contemporary urban planning to advance equitable housing solutions across Aotearoa.

Hon Chris Bishop: CHA Conference 2023

Video · 07 Apr 2025

Hon Christopher Bishop has served as a National Party MP since 2014, holding key roles including spokesperson for Housing and Infrastructure and Chairperson of National's 2023 Election Campaign.

Dr Rod Carr: CHA Conference 2023

Video · 16 May 2023

Dr. Carr discusses climate change's impact on planning and housing, drawing on leadership experience at the Reserve Bank, National Infrastructure Advisory Board, and University of Canterbury to explore adaptation challenges.

Charles Waldegrave: CHA Conference 2023

Video · 15 May 2023

Charles Waldegrave leads influential social policy research at the Family Centre and co-founded 'Just Therapy,' an internationally recognised approach addressing cultural, gender, and socioeconomic factors in therapeutic practice.

Philippa Howden-Chapman: CHA Conference 2023

Video · 11 May 2023

Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman leads housing and health research at the University of Otago, Wellington. Her community housing trials have reduced health disparities, earning recognition including fellowship of the Royal Society.

Panapa Ehau

Video · 10 May 2023

Panapa Ehau founded Hikurangi Enterprises to drive economic growth across East Coast communities, supporting whānau, hapū clusters, and landowners from Waipiro Bay to Rangitukia through community-led development.

Jill Hawkey: CHA Conference 2023

Video · 10 May 2023

Jill leads the Christchurch Methodist Mission after serving as Deputy General Secretary of ACT Alliance in Geneva, bringing international development expertise to fostering resilient communities across the upper South Island.

Megan Woods: CHA Conference 2023

Video · 05 May 2023

Megan Woods has represented Wigram since 2011, holding key ministerial roles including Housing, Energy and Resources, and Greater Christchurch Regeneration, whilst serving as Associate Minister of Finance.

CHA Stories

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When principals become developers

CHA Story · 28 Oct 2025

Wakatipu High School Principal Oded Nathan confronts Queenstown's housing crisis head-on, managing staff accommodation and seeking land donations as teachers flee unaffordable housing. With families struggling and talent leaving, he warns against becoming another Aspen—a resort town hollowed of essential workers.

Sara Ott: Aspen – Learning from a sister city

CHA Story · 07 Oct 2025

Aspen's city manager Sara Ott reveals how a $13 million average home price forced creative solutions. Decades of workforce housing experimentation transformed sceptical developers into partners, proving that resort town viability depends on housing essential workers.

CHA Story: Leo and Sean – Queenstown

CHA Story · 10 Jun 2025

Young Queenstown business-owners Leo and Sean share their struggle with million-dollar house prices and $500-weekly rents, highlighting how essential workers face impossible housing choices whilst holiday homes sit empty across the district.

CHA Stories: Fran O’Connor

CHA Story · 21 Apr 2025

CHA Stories brings human experiences to housing policy discussions. This edition features Fran O'Connor from Queenstown's Toru Apartments, demonstrating how effective initiatives transform lives across Aotearoa.

CHA Case studies

All case studies

CHA Case Study: Karamū in Christchurch

Case Study · 01 Oct 2025

Karamū demonstrates how voluntary Inclusionary Zoning can deliver mixed-tenure communities. This Christchurch development integrates social housing, first-home buyer units, and market sales through tenure-blind design and cross-subsidy, proving private developers can address diverse housing needs whilst maintaining commercial viability.

Case Study: Jennifer Palmer: Redefining affordability

Case Study · 01 Jun 2025

Bridge Housing's leasehold and shared equity programmes slash home costs by removing land prices, enabling Waikato families earning $75,000-plus to access ownership through innovative partnerships with Westpac, councils and charitable trusts.

Case Study: Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust

Case Study · 20 Apr 2025

Established in 2007, Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust tackles affordability in New Zealand's priciest region through award-winning programmes like Secure Home, pioneering place-based, community-driven solutions.

Case Study: Guild Street Community

Case Study · 05 Apr 2025

Christchurch Methodist Mission's Guild Street Housing Community discusses collaborative faith-based partnership, transforming temporary earthquake accommodation into permanent homes with dedicated community support, demonstrating how intentional community-building creates thriving social housing.

Latest Podcasts

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Podcast: Oded Nathan - Wakatipu High School

Podcast · 29 Nov 2025

Queenstown's housing crisis is now an educational crisis. Principal Oded Nathan discusses how Wakatipu High School navigates staff retention, student wellbeing, and accommodation challenges—revealing why schools are now partnering with developers to secure housing solutions.

Emily Irwin : Reframing housing culture

Podcast · 29 Nov 2025

Emily Irwin from Queenstown Lakes District Council argues that New Zealand's fixation on property wealth undermines community function. She explores inclusionary housing, the Overton window, and why bold political action requires shifting public dialogue beyond market-supply solutions.

Sara Ott: Aspen — Learning from a sister city

Podcast · 29 Nov 2025

Aspen's city manager shares lessons from a resort town where homes average $13 million yet mixed-income neighbourhoods thrive. Learn how inclusionary zoning and developer partnerships create affordable housing solutions relevant to Queenstown's similar challenges.

Case Study: Karamū in Christchurch

Podcast · 29 Nov 2025

Explore New Zealand's Karamū development—one of the first to embed inclusionary zoning at scale. Annie Wilson from Kāinga Maha shares insights on mixing affordable, public, and market housing to create equitable communities and sustainable solutions.

Anita Vanstone - Capturing value for community

Podcast · 24 Oct 2025

Anita Vanstone from Queenstown Lakes District Council explains how New Zealand's most expensive housing market uses inclusionary zoning to secure affordable homes. She makes the case for national legislation and reframes housing as essential community infrastructure.

Dr Michael Rehm - The 20,000 homes we never built

Podcast · 22 Oct 2025

Dr. Michael Rehm dissects Auckland's failed inclusionary zoning experiment—revealing how loopholes and missing stewardship collapsed the initiative. He calculates New Zealand would now have 20,000 perpetually affordable homes if national legislation had been adopted in 2016.

Dr Patricia Austin - From policy to place

Podcast · 21 Oct 2025

Dr. Patricia Austin explains the legal frameworks behind inclusionary zoning, from property rights to retention mechanisms. She discusses why voluntary approaches fail under New Zealand's RMA and how housing needs assessments ensure communities retain essential workers and families.

Prof Laurence Murphy - From market failure to solutions

Podcast · 19 Oct 2025

Professor Laurence Murphy explores how inclusionary zoning captures land value uplift for affordable housing. Drawing on international models, he argues for reframing housing as social infrastructure and rebuilding public trust in planning to achieve equitable outcomes.

Meet the team: Talavao Ngata

Podcast · 15 Oct 2025

Talavao Ngata, CHA's Pacific Policy Advisor, shares her journey bridging human rights and community housing. She discusses mentorship, equity, and why housing policy must reflect the lived realities of Pasifika communities across Aotearoa.

Chris Glaudel: Inclusionary Housing and value capture

Podcast · 14 Oct 2025

Chris Glaudel, CHA's Deputy Chief Executive, draws on decades of international experience to explain how inclusionary zoning works. He discusses lessons from Queenstown, California, and why national guardrails with local flexibility could transform New Zealand's housing system.

Kāinga Maha - The Economics of belonging

Podcast · 12 Oct 2025

Annie Wilson, Chief Executive of Kāinga Maha, discusses pioneering mixed blind tenure developments where affordable and market housing are indistinguishable. She shares lessons from Christchurch on creating inclusive, dignified communities through partnership-based delivery and innovative funding.

Claire Dickinson - Beyond Rigid Rules

Podcast · 09 Oct 2025

Claire Dickinson from UK consultancy Quod explains how Section 106 agreements and planning tools deliver affordable housing at scale. She shares practical insights on viability assessments, inclusionary mechanisms, and balancing development ambition with social impact.

Jim Boult – Inclusionary Housing

Podcast · 03 Oct 2025

Former Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult reflects on leading New Zealand's fastest-growing district through a housing crisis. He discusses affordability pressures, inclusionary zoning as a policy tool, and lessons for communities facing similar growth challenges.

Podcast: Rethinking Land, Ownership & Inclusionary Housing

Podcast · 30 Sep 2025

Thomas Gibbons from Waikato Community Lands Trust discusses leasehold models that halve housing costs, shared-equity schemes, and community land trusts. He outlines practical pathways to build a fairer, more secure housing system through inclusionary zoning.

May Low - Community Land Trusts

Podcast · 29 Aug 2025

May Low, Chair of Waikato Community Lands Trust, explains how separating land from homes preserves affordability in perpetuity. She discusses progressive home ownership models, the role of inclusionary zoning, and why collaboration matters in scaling solutions.

Harvey Brookes — Waikato Wellbeing Project

Podcast · 22 Aug 2025

Harvey Brookes from Waikato Wellbeing Project connects UN Sustainable Development Goals to local realities. He discusses the Waikato Housing Initiative, systemic links between infrastructure and affordability, and what a truly place-based approach to wellbeing requires.

Dr Mark Davey - Inclusionary Housing and Value Capture

Podcast · 22 Aug 2025

Dr. Mark Davey, Director of Urban Planning at Hamilton City Council, discusses inclusionary zoning in greenfield development, value capture mechanisms, and the Future Proof partnership. He explores how councils balance enabling growth with securing affordable outcomes.

Bernard Hickey - The 'Housing theory of everything'

Podcast · 20 Jul 2025

Economic commentator Bernard Hickey unpacks why housing sits at the heart of New Zealand's economic challenges. He explores bold policy shifts needed to restore intergenerational equity, rethink finance, and reimagine public investment for long-term wellbeing.

Sam Stubbs: Simplicity - Building for the long term

Podcast · 10 Jul 2025

Sam Stubbs from Simplicity reveals how long-term thinking delivers apartments costing 30-40% less and 25% larger than market standard. He discusses standardisation, why New Zealand's largest industry operates like a cottage industry, and building for intergenerational equity.

Heiko Jonkers: Westpac — Shared Equity

Podcast · 05 Jul 2025

Heiko Jonkers from Westpac New Zealand discusses how banks can enable affordable housing through sustainable finance and public-private partnerships. He brings a systems-oriented perspective on building a more equitable future through financial institutions' social impact.

James Palmer - Community Housing Funding Agency

Podcast · 30 Jun 2025

James Palmer, founder of Community Housing Funding Agency, discusses combining KiwiSaver investments, government backing, and community expertise to reshape affordable housing finance. He explores a smarter, more sustainable approach to addressing New Zealand's 20,000-family social housing waitlist.

The changing landscape of housing policy and finance

Podcast · 19 Jun 2025

Charles Waldegrave, pioneering researcher and co-founder of Family Centre Social Policy Research Unit, discusses New Zealand's housing history, financial landscapes, recent policy shifts, and the Community Housing Funding Agency. His work bridges academic rigour with deep compassion for vulnerable communities.

Paul Gilberd – Changing the finance landscape

Podcast · 18 Jun 2025

CHA Chief Executive Paul Gilberd discusses how changes in the financing landscape can deliver more affordable housing. He explores recent policy announcements and the new Community Housing Funding Agency's role in transforming housing delivery across New Zealand.

CHA Stories – Leo and Sean

Podcast · 10 Jun 2025

Leo and Sean share their lived experience of Queenstown's housing crisis—the challenges of affordability and the ripple effects on family, friends, and community. This CHA Story highlights the human impact behind housing policy and statistics.

Jennifer Palmer - Bridge Housing Charitable Trust

Podcast · 08 Jun 2025

Jennifer Palmer, General Manager of Brian Perry Charitable Trust and Bridge Housing, discusses her role shaping affordable housing in the Waikato. She oversees Bridge Housing's Secure Homes Programme and shares insights on community-driven housing initiatives.

Meet the Team – Chris Glaudel

Podcast · 26 May 2025

Chris Glaudel from Community Housing Aotearoa shares two decades of international housing development experience. From Peace Corps volunteer to housing advocate, he discusses innovative funding models, vulnerable populations, and creating sustainable affordable housing solutions for New Zealand.

What makes community housing providers so unique?

Podcast · 24 Apr 2025

Housing sector leaders reflect on what makes community housing providers unique: deep local connections, mission-driven approaches, and comprehensive tenant support. They discuss tailored solutions, long-term vision, and resilience through changing policy landscapes across New Zealand.

Julie Scott - Inclusionary Housing

Podcast · 11 Apr 2025

Julie Scott, Chief Executive of Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust, discusses the region's inclusionary housing successes and challenges. She reflects on the Trust's formation in 2007 and implementing long-term affordable housing solutions in New Zealand's most expensive market.

Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust

Podcast · 13 Mar 2025

The Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust (QLCHT) is a leading not-for-profit organization tackling housing affordability in one of New Zealand’s most expensive regions. Established in 2007, QLCHT delivers innovative housing solutions tailored to the needs of local residents, including the award-winning Secure Home shared ownership model. The Trust works closely with council, developers, and the community to provide stable, long-term housing options that support economic diversity and social wellbeing. Through its pioneering approach, QLCHT has become a national model for place-based, community-driven housing solutions.

CHA Stories: Fran O'Connor - Toru apartments

Podcast · 27 Feb 2025

Queenstown local Fran O'Connor shares her housing journey at Toru Apartments, secured through Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust. She discusses the challenges facing local workers and residents in one of New Zealand's most unaffordable housing markets.

David Zussman - Community Housing and CHA

Podcast · 05 Feb 2025

David Zussman, CHA's Engagement and Support Manager, shares his journey through affordable housing in the UK and New Zealand. He discusses tenancy management, community development, and the vital role of the community housing sector.