Monthly sector blog - April
This is a monthly blog series written by Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness Kaihautū Dr Kathie Irwin, Project Director Victoria Crockford, and Collective Impact Lead Amanda Kelly.
A core part of our mahi is ongoing engagement with iwi, organisations, leaders, and community groups working in the homelessness sector, and these relationships shape our work at CEWH every day. This monthly blog shares reflections on what we are seeing across the sector, including the work we are engaging with and learning from.
Celebrating Māhera Maihi: 2026 Tower Insurance Local Hero of the Year
Māhera Maihi (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua, Muriwhenua) was named the 2026 Tower Insurance Local Hero of the Year- a recognition that is truly well deserved. This award reflects the incredible leadership, dedication, and compassion Māhera brings to her work every day.
Through her organisation Mā Te Huruhuru, Māhera is transforming lives and communities by championing systemic change, equity, and compassion in tackling homelessness and poverty. We acknowledge and thank Māhera and her team for the vital mahi they do.
Māhera is also one of the driving forces behind Manaaki Rangatahi, and at our research symposium, we had the privilege of hearing firsthand about the impact Mā Te Huruhuru and Māhera’s leadership are having on rangatahi across Auckland.
Māhera, we celebrate you - and the whole Mā Te Huruhuru team - for your tireless commitment to whānau and communities.
NCWNZ Action Hub: housing and homelessness discussion with Jenny Ombler
The National Council of Women of New Zealand is hosting its next Safety, Health and Wellbeing Action Hub meeting, focused on housing and homelessness. The session will be held on Wednesday 22 April 2026,7.30–9.00pm.
The session will feature guest speaker Jenny Ombler, who recently presented at the CEWH and University of Otago Research Symposium. Jenny is a Research Fellow at the New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities and the He Kāinga Oranga Housing and Health Research Programme, and is also part of the Ending Homelessness in New Zealand: Housing First research programme.
Cure Kids’ fifth State of Child Health report: Poor housing drives hospitalisations for 60,000 Kiwi children each year
Cure Kids’ State of Child Health report warns that 60,000 children in New Zealand are admitted to hospital each year with preventable diseases, with respiratory conditions increasing by 60% since 2000.
Poor housing is a major contributing factor. Overcrowding, cold or damp homes, and other environmental risks disproportionately affect children living in socioeconomically deprived communities, leading to higher rates of hospitalisation - particularly among Pacific, Māori, and MELAA (Middle Eastern, Latin American, and African) children. Infants bear the heaviest burden, with conditions like bronchiolitis and asthma placing children at risk of long-term lung disease.
Improving access to affordable, warm, dry, and suitably sized homes for families could reduce hospitalisations for respiratory conditions by at least 23%, potentially preventing over 7,900 admissions in 2024 alone. Read more about the report here on RNZ.
Safe, secure housing is essential for children’s health and the wellbeing of their whānau. Across Aotearoa, it is clear that children are bearing the heaviest burden of homelessness.
CEWH currently has a research project underway using the Stats NZ Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI). The research question is: “What are typical government interactions that homeless children experience and how do these differ from non-homeless children?” We look forward to sharing more about this soon
STILL Minding The Gap Campaign - Invoice the PM
Dr Jo Cribb, Campaign Manager of STILL Minding the Gap and steering committee member of CEWH, is leading the campaign to close New Zealand’s gender and ethnic pay gaps. Check out her interview about the campaign here on RNZ Checkpoint.
Women in New Zealand are still losing thousands of dollars each year due to inaction on pay gap reporting:
Median-wage women: $25.36 per week
Wāhine Māori: $58.40 per week
Pacific women: $76.40 per week
Over time, these pay gaps can translate into a housing security gap for older women. Evidence shows that if the Government made gender pay gap reporting compulsory for large businesses, the pay gap could shrink by 20 - 40%, giving women greater financial security and retirement options.
Dr Kathie Irwin, CEWH Kaihautū and member of the STILL Minding the Gap Advisory Group, notes:
“The ethnic and gender pay gaps contribute significantly to Māori women’s economic precarity in older age. Economic precarity is a key factor in women’s homelessness.”
STILL Minding The Gap NZ is encouraging women across the country to invoice the Prime Minister for their overdue pay cheques. Send your invoice today, here.
Whakanuia VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai’s First National Conference
We whakanui VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai for hosting their first-ever national conference, Kōkiri – The Future Speaks, a mokopuna-informed, future-focused gathering held over two days in March.
The conference explored evidence-based best practice and research from both indigenous and international perspectives, centring care-experienced rangatahi as leaders in the national conversation on care.
CEWH recently hosted a Lunchtime Learning webinar which explored the State of Care Report 2025 Kei te rongo koe? Are you listening? by VOYCE - Whakarongo Mai. Check out the resources from the webinar here.
Dwell campaign: It Starts With Home
CEWH warmly acknowledges Dwell Housing Trust and their new campaign highlighting the life-changing impact of safe, secure housing. Through the stories of their campaign ambassadors - Dwell demonstrates the profound difference a stable home makes for people, whānau, and communities. We recognise and celebrate their commitment to advocating for housing solutions that change lives.
Find out more here.
Good Shepherd Research: Housing challenges for older women living alone
This research highlights the experiences of older women facing housing stress, insecure housing, or financial pressure on low incomes, as well as the supports that help sustain stability, wellbeing, and a sense of home.
Good Shepherd spoke with a small group of women aged 57–83, who shared both the challenges they face and the strength and resourcefulness they draw on to navigate them.
For many, housing challenges are shaped not only by low income, but also by lifelong experiences of low pay, caregiving, disability, racism, migration, and trauma, all of which influence how women access and experience housing and services.
Find out more about the research here.
New Chief Executive Officer for Haumaru Housing
The Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness (CEWH) welcomes the appointment of Olivia Poulsen as Chief Executive of Haumaru Housing.
Haumaru Housing is a partnership between Auckland Council and The Selwyn Foundation, providing safe, affordable housing for older people across Tāmaki Makaurau. It works to refurbish existing villages and develop new communities designed to meet older people’s health, social, and wellbeing needs, supporting secure futures and improved quality of life.
CEWH looks forward to working alongside Haumaru Housing and acknowledges the important contribution they make to providing housing, and supporting wellbeing for older people.
Find out more here
We value our connections, partnerships, and networks, and are always keen to build new relationships. If you’d like to kōrero or connect, please get in touch at admin@cewh.org
We look forward to sharing reflections, stories, and developments with you in the coming months.
Ngā mihi,
Kathie, Victoria and Amanda
