"Owning Our Future" - a presentation by James Goodhue

James Goodhue is a visionary leader in housing and urban regeneration. Having worked on some of New Zealand's largest urban development and regeneration programmes, he brings a wealth of knowledge in the planning and delivery of large-scale, impact-driven projects. He understands cross-stakeholder perspectives, having worked extensively with local communities and across all sectors in property development – private, public, non-profit and Iwi. 

In his current role as Associate Project Director for Kāinga Ora on the Eastern Porirua Regeneration Project, a partnership between The Crown, Porirua City Council and Ngati Toa Rangatira, Goodhue is responsible for the redevelopment of Kāinga Ora’s existing housing stock of 2,000 state houses. The partnership recognises the need to deliver a diverse range of housing options including tenures, price points and typologies to ensure the needs and aspirations of the community are provided. 

James Goodhue

New (to NZ at least) models such as Community Land Trusts provide an alternative to the restricted housing supply options of public & private ownership. Goodhue is at the tip of the spear when it comes to CLTs and other innovative housing models in New Zealand - a crucial ingredient to urban regeneration. 

James will be one of the presenters at the NZILA Firth Conference in Tauranga in May. (Early Bird registration closes this Friday 29th January - you can register here). His presentation is entitled Owning Our Future.

LAA asked him what that meant.

JG: I “borrowed” the title from a book written by Marjorie Kelly in 2012, where it’s argued that ownership (whether property & business) is fuelling inequity and the destruction of the planet. When we look at the global housing crises today, we see a widening gap between those who own property and those who don’t. Owning our Future refers to ownership structures of land and buildings and understanding that there’s more to housing than simply public vs private supply. I recently published an article on Linked entitled Rethinking Home Ownership which explains this further.

 LAA: What role should/could Community Land Trusts play in our future?

JG: CLT’s should become a viable mainstream housing option as they are in many countries around the world. Everyone is different (thank goodness), and have had different life experiences and therefore have different housing needs and preferences. CLTs provide greater housing choices by meeting those various needs and preferences. CLTs also remove land from speculation, meaning they have a significant role to play in curbing the affordability curve.

LAA: Why do you favour them?

JG: Pretty simple really, CLTs provide benefits that people value most in a home – tenure security; warm, dry, healthy; fit-for-purpose; and affordable.  

LAA: How important do you think it is for us to embrace traditional Māori values/relationships with the land and sea for us to flourish as a nation? 

JG: The Māori world view (Te Ao Māori) acknowledges the interconnectedness and interrelationship of all living and non-living things. This world view resonates deeply with me and I believe it is imperative to understanding it if we are to build resilient, meaningful, and prosperous communities. Weaving Te Ao Māori into housing development and urban regeneration projects will deliver far greater social, economic and environmental outcomes than current practices could ever achieve.  

 LAA: What will your key message at the NZILA conference be?

JG: New Zealand’s current housing system is not providing sufficient affordable, secure, or suitable housing options for our diverse communities. Quality, affordable and security of tenure are critical to the overall wellbeing of people and communities; they support social stability, which leads to economic prosperity and better physical and mental health outcomes. CLT’s are a proven vehicle that can deliver these critical outcomes now and for future generations.