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Kia ora whanau.
As I draft this episode, there’s a chorus of cicadas outside my window. The sun is shining and there’s a faint breath of a breeze. It seems calm where I live, here in a relatively leafy part of Tāmaki Makaurau.
But all is not calm everywhere in Aotearoa today, Waitangi Day 2024.
I’ve been listening on and off to some live coverage of events from the Treaty Grounds. I’ll catch up with the bluster and headline political posturing, no doubt from multiple social feeds over the next few days, weeks, and possibly months.
Some of the koreru from this morning though wasn’t about possible referenda or the defining of Te Tiriti principles. It was about the importance of housing, getting roads fixed and how important it is to engage with local communities.
What better time (aside from being a public holiday) to re-engage with a community interested in better housing?
It’s been nearly 18 months since I published an episode of the Home Style Green podcast. In that time, I’ve been regularly co-hosting the Passive House Podcast and enjoying being part of the Passive House Accelerator community.
I’ve also been working a day job.
And all the while, I’ve been thinking about how I can better support the home building industry here in Aotearoa New Zealand.
I have thoughts on how unique (or not) our homes are, and how unique (or not) our building industry is. I think a lot about why we build the way we do. I observe trends. I’m curious to learn more about what’s going and I’m keen to kōrerorero with people who know much more than me.
I’m keen to discuss the fundamentals of building better homes, specifically here in New Zealand. We have a lot to discuss. Everything from building science and how to control mould, to housing affordability, landlord culture, the real estate market and housing policy.
For now, I have this feed. Something I created a decade ago and something that might still be of use. This time around, with a focus on building a better Aotearoa.
I’m not sure where this will go, but I’m willing to find out.