What can we learn from Healthy Housing Initiatives? New evidence from the Wellington Well Homes scheme

Wednesday, July 17th, 2019 | tedla55p | No Comments

Elinor Chisholm, Nevil Pierse, Cheryl Davies, Philippa Howden-Chapman

We know that poor housing conditions result in ill health for many New Zealanders, and we know which interventions are required to ensure good quality housing that supports health. Healthy Housing Initiatives intervene to improve the homes of kids who are hospitalised for illnesses that could be related to poor housing conditions. In this blog post, we draw on recently published research to gain insights about housing and health, and explore views about the effectiveness of these Ministry of Health-funded programmes.

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Potential health co-benefits from eradicating rats, stoats and possums in NZ towns and cities

Monday, November 7th, 2016 | Kate Sloane | 2 Comments

Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Mary McIntyre, Dr Osman D Mansoor, Dr Paul Blaschke, Prof Michael Baker

predator-free blogThe eradication of some introduced pests such as rats, stoats and possums in New Zealand, seems increasingly feasible with a new national 2050 goal and action at the city level eg, Wellington. The primary benefits will be to native birds and enhanced biodiversity, as well as for agriculture (if bovine tuberculosis is eradicated nationally). But what about the spin-offs for public health? This blog starts to explore this issue and provisionally concludes that there are many potential health benefits from the eradication or near-complete control of these pest species.

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Worth its weight: Building Insulation in New Zealand

Monday, May 23rd, 2016 | Kate Sloane | 1 Comment

Dr Kimberley O’Sullivan

Insulation blog

Source: http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/services-and-advice/households/energy-efficiency/toolbox/how-to/check-your-ceiling-insulation

Building insulation provides comfort and health benefits to occupants, saves energy, enhances energy security, and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This blog looks at these issues and wonders why the NZ Government is not doing more to enhance building performance and insulation standards when it is such a good investment.

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