WRHHG and Sustainability Trust were pleased to welcome five Wellington mayoral candidates for a ‘Decent Homes Town Hall’ on 15 Sept 2025 to talk about their ideas on how council can support decent homes for all. Diane Calvert, Joan Shi, Alex Baker, Andrew Little and Rob Goulden brought a rich combination of experience for an informed discussion that provides food for thought for councils around the motu.
Discussion covered finance and advice for improving homes, affordable homes, homelessness, healthy rental homes, the idea of independent ‘WoF’ type rating for homes and opportunities in council-central government cooperation.
At the bottom of this page you can click to watch the full Town Hall recording (1hr), but if you prefer shorter ‘snacks’ on specific topics, take a look out our three 2min clips…
Clip 1_Councils and Finance for Home Improvements – Alex Baker and Diane Calvert talk about the ‘Rates Assistance Scheme’ (RAS) that can offer low-interest, long-term, property-tied financing for healthy home improvements. Many councils around the country have already committed support to get the RAS off the ground and make it possible for more families to live with dignity in decent homes:
Clip 2_Councils and Independent Advice for Healthier Homes. Some councils host independent ‘Eco Design Advisor’ (EDA) roles – one EDA can provide targeted advice to around 300 households a year, plus up to 5000 more people via group advice sessions, referrals to central government programmes for subsidies, and word of mouth. This clip features candidate discussion about independent advice and other ways to ensure decent homes for all:
Clip 3_Councils and Decent Rental Homes – can you tell a home isn’t Healthy Homes compliant by how it sounds when you walk in? Candidate Alex Baker reckons so. In this clip Alex and fellow mayoral candidates talk about council’s part in ensuring that people who rent live in decent homes, and a Wellington example of council-central government cooperation that helps make that happen.
View the full Town Hall recording (chapter headings mark six topics of discussion):
