Healthy Homes initiative has put 25,000 Northlanders into warmer, drier accommodation

Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis, with Foundation North chief executive Jenny Gill, MP Willow Jean Prime and kaumātua Kevin Prime at the 10th anniversary of Healthy Homes Tai Tokerau.

A programme set up to insulate cold and damp homes for Northlanders has celebrated its 10th birthday with around 25,000 more Northlanders now in healthier homes.

Healthy Homes Tai Tokerau (HHTT) this week celebrated a decade of making Northland homes warmer and drier – 5037 homes in the Far North, 808 in Kaipara and 3235 in Whangārei District – improving health outcomes for around 25,000 Northlanders.

Insulating more than 9000 cold, damp and mouldy Northland homes has been labelled one of the most significant wellbeing projects ever undertaken in Northland by Ngaire Rae, chairwoman of the Healthy Homes Tai Tokerau Governance Group.

The 10th anniversary celebration of the initiative was held in Moerewa this week and attended by Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis.

Rae says the insulation programme has allowed around 25,000 Northlanders to live in healthier homes in just 10 years.

'We know the impact of this programme has meant far less children in hospital, less GP visits, less time off school and work. We hear that from families all the time," she said.

"The vision of Healthy Homes Tai Tokerau is of a Northland where all our homes are warm, dry, and healthy. There are still 5000-10,000 homes in Northland that require insulation, so we are going to keep doing this work until the job is done.

"It's great to be working on a project where the results from retrofitting insulation are instant, tangible and will be long lasting for multiple generations.''

She thanked everybody involved in this programme – the funders, the insulation installers and the health professionals that refer families.

''Everyone plays a part in the success of this programme and the significance of this project is huge – for every one dollar spent, there are five times the benefits," Rae said.

The sentiment was backed by Healthy Homes general manager Paul Hansen, who says the roll-on effect of the $27 million invested in the programme equates to a regional economic benefit of $42m.

After contributing $10m to the Healthy Homes Tai Tokerau initiative over 10 years, Foundation North chief executive Jenny Gill was delighted with the success of the programme.

"This has been one of Foundation North's largest and most successful investments in Northland - something we can all be very proud of," Gill said.

"Ten years ago we had no idea that by partnering with Northland District Health Board, Te Tai Tokerau PHO, Manaia Health PHO, Northpower and Top Energy, that we could achieve such great community outcomes. The health, environmental and employment outcomes that have been generated through this are immense."