The right to adequate housing is a pre-requisite to the enjoyment of other human rights and contributes to individual wellbeing as well as a thriving society in general. One of the key elements of the right to adequate housing is affordability. The ongoing housing affordability crisis significantly compromises the realisation of this right and other human rights in Aotearoa New Zealand. Successive governments have attempted to address housing affordability through various law reforms and policies that aim at, among others, increasing housing supply. Despite these reforms and policies, housing has remained severely unaffordable.

This thesis looks at whether two specific collaborative housing forms – unit title collective housing and rental cooperative housing - could improve housing affordability in Aotearoa New Zealand. It examines the past and current housing situation using a socio-legal approach. This thesis reports on the findings of the qualitative empirical research undertaken to look at the experiences of established as well as unsuccessful unit title collective developments. Drawing on Australian experience, this thesis also explores whether rental cooperative housing could be part of the solution to the housing affordability crisis. This Australian model could be replicated in Aotearoa New Zealand, as both jurisdictions share similar legal and socioeconomic features. This thesis concludes with suggestions for reform in the form of the incorporation of the right to adequate housing into domestic law, amendments to the unit title, cooperative and community housing frameworks, as well as other factors that can also improve housing affordability.