Executive summary Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission is Aotearoa New Zealand’s national human rights institution. Our purpose is he whakamana tāngata, a life of dignity for all. We work to make te Tiriti o Waitangi and human rights real and relevant in Aotearoa. For many years, successive New Zealand governments have made international human rights commitments to recognise and progress a critically important human right: the right to a decent home. This human right dignifies individuals and empowers communities. Crucially, it also helps policy makers achieve their policy objectives for everyone in Aotearoa. Despite promises and binding responsibilities, our housing system is in crisis. For many people, the simple goal of an affordable, healthy, accessible home remains beyond reach. Among the most affected by this housing and human rights crisis are Tangata Whenua, many of whom face disproportionate exclusion from secure housing. Our housing system needs to address the impacts of colonisation, the historical dispossession of Māori from their land and the destruction of traditional ways of living, including communal land ownership. However, as emphasised in the ongoing Wai 2750 Housing Kaupapa inquiry at the Waitangi Tribunal, successive governments have been failing to honour te Tiriti o Waitangi. The human rights issues we are addressing are the responsibility of successive governments who have made a range of decisions that have contributed 6 Human Rights Commission to our housing system’s failures. We acknowledge that the current Government has made very significant efforts to deliver a more equitable housing system in Aotearoa. Moreover, there are welcome signs of progress. We must not cede any ground on the advances that have been made in recent years. Brief overview of the Inquiry In 2021, the Commission launched a national Inquiry into the right to a decent home in Aotearoa – the Housing Inquiry.1 Throughout our work, we have highlighted that the right to a decent home must be shaped by and give effect to te Tiriti o Waitangi. Through partnership with the National Iwi Chairs Forum, Community Housing Aotearoa and Te Matapihi Māori Housing Network, we produced Aratohu Tika Tangata ki te Whai Whare Rawaka i Aotearoa: Framework Guidelines on the Right to a Decent Home in Aotearoa.2 The Guidelines introduce the right to a decent home shaped by and giving effect to te Tiriti o Waitangi and signal the different ways this human right can contribute to a fair housing system in this country. In addition to the Guidelines, the Housing Inquiry has released the following reports as standalone publications (see Appendix A for more information): • Strengthening Accountability and Participation in the Housing System • Discussion Paper: Understanding Accountability for Māori • Homelessness and Human Rights: A Review of the Emergency Housing System in Aotearoa New Zealand