Tenants Union

11/06/2026

Our friend Paul Barber wrote a piece on the budget shifting costs on those with the least ability to pay them. I am reminded on something I read recently - a country needs to be managed like a household, which means first caring for the most vulnerable and if that requires periods of spending more and the most well off giving up some of their resources, then that's what we need to do. A society is a group of people, not a business.

By Paul Barber Budget 2026 presents itself as fiscally prudent and targeted, but that comes with the price of entrenching hardship, shifting costs onto those least able to bear them, and missing key opportunities to address structural inequities.  There is almost complete absence of targeted ...

10/06/2026

We're not sure quite how much to accept this one, but apparently our rent-to-income ratio is improving. For most, rents are still unaffordable and requires multiple incomes mind you ('affordable' rent is considered to be 1/3rd of income as a rule of thumb, with it being lower against for those on lower incomes).

So, we suspect it is mostly 'good news' in a terrible situation is slightly less terrible than somewhere else. It is still bad here and we have a long way to go to be good.

A new report says NZ's median rent as a share of disposable income is 25.5% versus 23% for Australia, with the gap closing.

10/06/2026

From a current report on child poverty, the Coalition Government is failing to meet its target, and instead things have got worse. Increasing social housing rents in exchange of increasing the accommodation supplement is unlikely to help as it just moves money around.

The Minister who is supposed to oversee the reduction in child poverty feels that general economic growth is sufficient. Fortunately, annual growth has been negative for most of the Coalition Government's leadership (we're currently sitting on 0.4%) and unemployment has almost doubled.

A series of actions and decisions by the coalition government over Māori rights have drawn criticism this week.

08/06/2026

The pet rulings are starting to come out - with a reminder that a property owner needs to give a good reason and one that couldn't be rectified with a pet request. For example, a property owner can't say no to a dog due to a lack of fences, but they can impose a condition that a tenant pays for and puts up a temporary fence.

Tenancy rules changed on 1 December, preventing landlords from unreasonably withholding consent for pets.

03/06/2026

Renting in Aotearoa: tell us how it's really been.
We're recording a podcast about tenants' housing journeys, and we want to hear yours. The moves, the struggles, the wins, all of it.
No experience needed. Keep it anonymous if you like. You decide what to share.
Want to know more? Email us on [email protected] for a no-pressure chat.
Your story matters, and it might just help someone else.

01/06/2026

Cleaning out the office, we found these.
Tenants made them. Years ago. We're still making the same case today.
"Housing for need, not greed."
Budget 2026 wants social housing tenants paying 30% of their income in rent from 2027. So no, the fight isn't over. Not even close.
Same signs. Same struggle. We're not going anywhere.

31/05/2026

OPEN LETTER: Don't raise the rent on social housing tenants
To the Prime Minister and the Government of Aotearoa New Zealand

We, the undersigned — tenants, community organisations and members of the public — do not support the Government's decision to raise the rent paid by social housing tenants. We are calling on you to drop it.

From 1 April 2027, the Government will increase the rent that social housing tenants pay from 25 percent to 30 percent of their income. That is a one-fifth increase in their rent, taken from the lowest-income households in the country.

We say no.
It penalises the people who can least afford it. Social housing tenants are housed by the state because the private market has failed them. Charging them more rent punishes the poorest families in Aotearoa for being poor.

It will make child poverty worse. The Government's own figures show that, after families pay their rent, child poverty is stuck at almost 18 percent — well above the Government's own target — and is forecast to stay there out to 2030.

Taking more rent from these families will leave more children going without.

It takes money out of our communities. Tenants spend what little they have close to home — at the dairy, the supermarket, the local shops. Taking more of their income in rent means less money spent in our towns and suburbs. When tenants are squeezed, whole communities lose.

It comes while state homes are left to decline. At the same time as charging tenants more, the Government is cutting Kāinga Ora's budget. Tenants deserve warm, dry, well-maintained homes — not higher rents in return for less.

It is not even necessary. The Government already has the tools to deal fairly with tenants whose circumstances differ. A blanket rent rise on everyone is a choice, not a necessity — and it is the wrong one.

Social housing exists to give people a secure, affordable home. Raising the rent breaks that promise.
We call on the Government to:

Drop the increase to social housing rents.
Invest in maintaining the public homes families already live in.
Build more public housing — owned by the people of New Zealand — through Kāinga Ora.

We will not support a Budget that takes more from those who have the least. We are asking you to think again.

28/05/2026

Budget Lock Up done and dusted.

After a full day at the NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi People’s Budget Lock Up in Wellington, we joined with students and community voices to hand deliver a letter to Parliament, backed by the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions, calling out a budget that simply is not delivering for ordinary people.

Across the room today there was a shared feeling. Communities are being asked to tighten their belts while inequality keeps growing, public services are stretched thinner, and many workers, tenants, students, and whānau are being left behind.

This budget talks about responsibility, but where is the responsibility to renters struggling with housing costs? To students carrying debt and uncertainty? To communities already doing it tough?

The strongest part of today was standing together. Unions, students, advocates, and everyday people united around one simple message: budgets should put people first.

Now it is back on the train north, carrying the conversations, frustrations, and determination home with us.

The fight for fair housing, decent incomes, and strong communities does not stop at Parliament’s front doors.

28/05/2026

From the early train ride into Wellington this morning to now sitting inside the Peoples’ Budget Lock-Up 2026, it has been a full day representing renters and communities at the national level.

The conversations happening in this room matter. Budgets are not just spreadsheets and headlines. They shape whether people can afford housing, keep the lights on, put food on the table, and live with dignity.

Proud to have the Tenants’ Union here at the table alongside unions, advocates, and community voices from across Aotearoa.

Renters deserve to be part of the economic conversation, not treated as an afterthought once the decisions are already made.

28/05/2026

Travels of a Tenants’ Union Organiser 🚆

An early start from Palmerston North this morning, heading south to our beautiful capital city for the NZCTU People’s Budget lockup.

After the drive through to Khandallah, it was time to jump on the train and take in the Wellington harbour views rolling into the city. There is something special about arriving into Wellington by rail, especially on a crisp morning with the city slowly coming to life.

Today is about hearing the conversations that matter. What a people-focused budget could and should look like for workers, renters, whānau, and communities across Aotearoa.

More updates to come throughout the day.