The problem is clear. Monetary policy has inflated the property market with cheap money. The result has been a mushrooming wealth divide.

We need to be wary of the law of unintended consequences as we contemplate what our post-Covid-19 future might look like.

The latest announcement from Housing Minister Phil Twyford on the new Healthy Homes standards is really great news. The new standards will mean low-income families who are renting will get homes that are able to be heated more efficiently and are better safe-guarded against dampness.

Landlords can evict a person for lots of reasons, or for no reason. Maybe this made sense in 1986; the policy context was different. Renting was seen as more of a temporary option, but today, growing numbers of people will be living in a home they rent for the rest of their lives.

A good tenancy contract shouldn’t be felt or considered a privilege, it should be a right. As renters, and as parents, we should be assured of safety, security, and to be free from the constant reminder of who wields the power to decide our fate.

With winter now well set in, emergency departments around New Zealand are being inundated by our most vulnerable population- our children.

It’s time our Government stopped confusing the nation with its baffling numbers and vague talk of housing projects, and showed New Zealanders a real plan to increase the current social housing stock.

Social Housing Minister Amy Adams’ claims of 72,000 social housing units by 2021 deserves special scrutiny because this number doesn’t exist in the real world.

The New Zealand Herald’s recent “Home Truths” series brought some significant insights into New Zealand’s unaffordable housing crisis. The enormous scale of the crisis was put under a spotlight and our nation’s leaders were challenged on their political will to do something about it.

Our tenancy laws are well overdue for an overhaul.

As any long-term tenant will know, rents have moved on considerably since 2005. There are various measures for rent inflation and if some are to be believed we don’t have a problem with unaffordable housing.

Unhealthy and insecure accommodation has adverse effects on children’s health and wellbeing, which in turn affects their learning and development.

Even if as a doctor you are doing your best while the boy is in hospital, the improvement you can make is limited by the home environment.

April 15th is Youth Homelessness Matters Day, and Lifewise and Youthline are joining forces to raise awareness about youth homelessness in New Zealand.