We have a range of email templates that you can use to advocate for the right to a decent home in Aotearoa.  

Before you send your email you need to consider who you would like to send it to. Central and local government holds the primary responsibility to ensure we can access our right to a decent home, so our emails templates are targeted to councillors, members of parliament, ministers, or government departments.  

To see who our members of parliament currently are go here – you can filter the list to find who holds the housing portfolio. To find out who your councillors are, visit your local council’s website.    

Once you’ve found the email of the person you want to email, you can use one of these templates to write your email!  

• Template 1 can be used to remind government of their commitment to the right to a decent home, and share your experiences of housing.  
• Template 2 can be used to guide you on how to advocate to Government about a housing issue that you care about. We have used the issue of accessibility and asking for universal design in all new buildings as an example.  
• Template 3 can be used to email Government asking for the establishment of accountability and participation mechanisms to strengthen our housing system to meet everyone's right to a decent home.  
• Template 4 can be used as a high level ask to embed a human rights approach which is shaped by and gives effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi into housing policies. 

Use the template which best suits you to advocate for our housing system to meet everyone’s right to a decent home, and adjust however you need to. Make sure you proofread it before sending!  

 

Template 1:  

Kia ora,  

Time and time again New Zealand Governments have promised to uphold the human right to a decent home in international agreements. In Aotearoa we know this right must give effect to te Tiriti o Waitangi, which the Crown signed in 1840. Both local and central government have obligations to take intentional actions towards achieving the right to a decent home in Aotearoa. 

[Talk about your experiences of housing here and delete this sentence.] 

A decent home is the foundation for a decent life.  

I need you to meet your commitment to the right to a decent home now. 

Ngā mihi nui,  

 

Template 2:  

Kia ora, 

I am emailing to ask you to [insert your ask here e.g. make all council/governments new builds to meet universal design principles] 

[Here connect the right to a decent home to your housing issue. e.g., accessibility is one of the key features of the right to a decent home and currently many people have houses which do not meet their accessibility needs (see https://housing.hrc.co.nz/a_decent_home_is_accessible_for_everyone).]  

The right to a decent home is an internationally binding human right that successive NZ Governments have committed to. In Aotearoa we know this right must be grounded on te Tiriti o Waitangi, which the Crown signed in 1840. Both local and central government have obligations to take intentional actions towards achieving the right to a decent home in Aotearoa. This is called ‘progressive realisation’. It doesn’t mean the government can avoid or delay its responsibilities. It must work as quickly and effectively as it can, and take steps which are deliberate, concrete, and targeted as clearly as possible to reach a place where the right to a decent home is a reality for everyone. 

I am concerned that currently [insert council name, government department or political party you are making your ask to] is not fulfilling its responsibility to progressively realise the right to a decent home.  

[here write about how this is shown by your issue e.g. Many disabled people are currently unable to find homes which meet their access needs, nor visit their whānau and friends’ homes because they are inaccessible. This has not been improving and is a breach of your obligation to progressively realise the right to a decent home.] 

An accessible home, a decent home, improves health, education, and work. It provides a sense of safety and belonging. Without a decent home, it is difficult to contribute to society.   

To meet everyone's right to a decent home [insert your ask again e.g. we need to be building all our homes to meet universal design principles. I urge you to implement policy which see's all council/governments new builds meet universal design principles.]  

A decent home is the foundation to a decent life.  

We need you to meet your commitment to the right to a decent home now.  

Ngā mihi,  

[insert your name] 

 

Template 3:  

Kia ora, 

I am emailing to ask you to meet your responsibilities to the right to a decent home by committing to establishing effective, independent accountability mechanisms that have the power and authority to address systemic housing issues. 

The right to a decent home is an internationally binding human right that successive NZ Governments have committed to. In Aotearoa we know this right must be shaped by and give effect to te Tiriti o Waitangi, which the Crown signed in 1840.  

I am concerned that currently our parliament is not fulfilling its obligations to progressively realise the right to a decent home.  

Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission’s housing inquiry found that key aspects of the housing system are breaching human rights, while the Crown’s failure to address Māori homelessness has breached te Tiriti o Waitangi.  

It’s clear - our housing crisis is a human rights crisis. Despite successive Government’s commitments to the right to a decent home we still have a system that has too often failed people, with mistakes spanning decades, that we must learn from.  

We need meaningful, effective, and independent accountability arrangements to ensure that we learn from mistakes and continuously improve our housing system to meet everyone’s right to a decent home. It is essential for the accountability mechanisms to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi and embrace kaupapa Māori based approaches. 

Decent housing improves health, education, and work. It provides a sense of safety and belonging. Without a decent home, it is difficult to contribute to society. We need to make progress on the realisation of everyone’s right to a decent home so everyone and their whānau can feel safe, like they belong, and have a home which supports their health.  

I urge you to establish accountability mechanisms in our housing system to fix this crisis and enable us to progress the realisation of the human right to a decent home in Aotearoa. 

A decent home is the foundation for a decent life.  

We need you to meet your commitment to the right to a decent home now.  

Ngā mihi nui, 

[insert your name] 

 

Template 4: 

Kia ora,

I am emailing to ask you to embed a human rights approach which gives effect to  Te Tiriti o Waitangi into all your housing policies, strategies, and plans. 

The right to a decent home is an internationally binding human right that successive NZ Governments have committed to. In Aotearoa we know this right must be grounded on te Tiriti o Waitangi, which the Crown signed in 1840. Both local and central government have obligations to take intentional actions towards achieving the right to a decent home in Aotearoa. This is called ‘progressive realisation’. It doesn’t mean the government can avoid or delay its responsibilities. It must work as quickly and effectively as it can, and take steps which are deliberate, concrete, and targeted as clearly as possible to reach a place where the right to a decent home is a reality for everyone. 

I am concerned that currently [insert council name or government department or political party] is not fulfilling its obligations to progressively realise the right to a decent home. 

Decent housing improves health, education, and work. It provides a sense of safety and belonging. Without a decent home, it is difficult to contribute to society.   

Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission’s housing inquiry found that key aspects of the housing system are breaching human rights4, while the Crown’s failure to address Māori homelessness has breached te Tiriti o Waitangi.  

It’s clear - our housing crisis is a human rights crisis. I urge you to embed a human rights and te Tiriti o Waitangi approach in all housing policies, plans, and strategies to fix this crisis. 

A decent home is the foundation for a decent life. 

We need you to meet your commitment to the right to a decent home now.  

Ngā mihi nui, 

[insert your name]