Warm Up New Zealand: Healthy Homes Rental programme

In 2016 the government allocated $18 million over two years for an extension of Warm Up New Zealand: Healthy Homes programme specifically focused on rental properties. The extension provided new funding to deliver insulation to low-income rental households with high health needs (particularly households occupied by children and/or the elderly as they are at the highest health risk from cold and damp housing).

This phase, WUNZ: Healthy Homes (extension) (WUNZ: HH - extension) ran from 2016 until 30 June 2018. When this phase launched it was available for owners of rental properties only, occupied by low-income tenants and/or tenants with high health needs, but the eligibility criteria was broadened by Cabinet in July 2017 to include home owners (with the same low income/high health criteria applying).

The programme was co-ordinated by home insulation companies, regional councils, energy trusts and the Ministry of Health-recognised Healthy Housing Initiative provider.

Some concrete key performance indicators (KPIs) include:

• Government investment: $18m over two years, $16.5m grant funding
• 13,000 retrofits in 2016/17 and 7,000 in 2017/18