Campaign launch for the Dwell Housing Trust

E nga rau rangatira mā, e kui mā, e koro mā, e huihui mai nei I tenei waa, tēnei aku mihi māhana ki a koutou. Nau mai, haere mai ra ki Te Whare o te Kawana Tinara o Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

I specifically acknowledge: The Honourable Chris Bishop and the Honourable Tama Potaka, Ministers of the Crown; the Honourable Julie-Anne Genter and Ms Tamatha Paul, as Members of Parliament for Rongotai and for Wellington Central, and the Honourable Kieran McAnulty, MP; Your Worship the Honourable Andrew Little, Mayor of Wellington City; Elizabeth Lester, Chief Executive of Dwell Housing Trust; Michael Pead, Board Chair; Peter Boshier, Dwell Ambassador; Susan Vekula, Justin Lester, and Karen O'Leary, Ambassadors of the It Starts at Home campaign; Dwell Board members and staff; Lopeti Langi; and Dwell whānau.

A warm welcome to you all, and to all our distinguished guests here this evening. I am absolutely delighted to host this dinner in support of the work of Dwell Housing Trust.

When I think about the significance of your work, your new campaign It Starts with Home says it all. Our wellbeing starts with having a home that feels like our haven, where we feel safe and secure.

As a former Children's Commissioner, and as a mother and grandmother, I am particularly interested in promoting the security, health and wellbeing of our nation's children. From my experience working in health and education, I know what happens when they don't have stable, healthy accommodation.

When I was Director of the Starpath programme in Auckland, it was abundantly clear that children who lived in mouldy, damp houses were frequently unwell, meaning that they didn't come to school and couldn't achieve their potential. Poor housing was a significant brake on their educational achievement and future success - meaning that the cycle of poverty was likely to continue into the future.

My husband Richard is a GP has seen the sharp end of the impacts of unstable, overcrowded living conditions, and life on the streets. We were pleased to learn about Dwell's partnership with Downtown Community Ministry on Housing First, which will follow international best practice in providing housing and wrap-around services for those in need. Housing First will be a welcome complement to Wellington City Mission's Whakamaru - which I was privileged to open in 2024.

It is heartening to see charitable trusts, government, and iwi responding to this need by partnering in social housing initiatives. During visits to visit different regions around Aotearoa, I have seen communities tackling this very real social challenge, and tailoring housing projects to meet the particular needs of those communities.

New Zealand is fortunate to have Dwell Housing Trust doing the powerful work that it does. My sincere thanks to everyone involved in making the vital work of Dwell possible - supporters, donors, and staff. Thank you for empowering people to get on with their lives, secure in the knowledge that their house is the haven they need and deserve.

'Ko te whare e hanga te tangata, ko te tangata e hangaia e te whare - the house builds the people, and the people build the house.' Dwell projects are providing the foundation for wellbeing and success for individuals, whānau, and our communities.

I wish you all the very best with your new building projects, and I hope your video campaign will not only make New Zealanders more aware that community housing transforms lives - but that they will also reflect on the social responsibility we all share to care about the wellbeing of others in our communities.

Thank you for everything you do in the spirit of manaakitanga, by upholding the dignity of fellow New Zealanders. Tonight, as we welcome you into our home, we invite you to enjoy the manaakitanga we are extending to you.

Kia ora huihui tātou katoa. I'd now like to invite Lopeti Langi to speak.