1 Mar 2019

WHO housing guidelines launched in New Zealand

From Nine To Noon, 9:32 am on 1 March 2019
Mould in the living room.

Mould in the living room. Photo: RNZ / Michael Cropp

New guidelines aimed at improving poor housing conditions have had their Southern Hemisphere launch in New Zealand. The guidelines relate to things like heating, crowding, and mould.

The standards were launched earlier this week just days after the Minister of Housing announced a raft of new rules for rentals, with a strong focus on heating and insulation. And in tandem with this new research has put preventable injuries and hospitalisations due solely to poor housing at an annual cost of more than $145 million.

Dr Nathalie Röbbel, is the Coordinator for Air Pollution and Urban Health at WHO  and Lucy Telfar Barnard has advised MBIE on the new healthy homes standards. She also reviewed the WHO Housing and Health guidelines on indoor cold.