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Overview

Course Prescription

An examination of the law and policy relating to residential housing including: human rights and social equity considerations; the role of government and social policy on housing; forms of housing ownership; residential tenancy legislation; regulating the private rental market; measures to ensure safe and habitable housing; retirement housing; housing for disabled persons; and housing following natural disasters.

Course Overview

This course explores the social, economic, and legal aspects of peoples’ aspirations and legitimate expectations for affordable, habitable, and healthy housing. The course traverses a broad range of social, political, and legal issues and examines many aspects of law that are relevant to this topic, including property, contract, public, and human rights law. The course will include the following areas of specific focus:

  • whether there is a 'right to housing', including the historical origins of social housing law and policy, and current international and domestic measures relating to housing;
  • the various regulatory and policy measures that apply to housing in New Zealand today;
  • the various mechanisms for owning and/or occupying residential premises and homes;
  • legal and policy measures designed to ensure an acceptable level of quality and habitability for housing stock; and
  • the provision of housing for specific and disadvantaged groups within society, and in times of crisis and natural disaster.

Workload Expectations

This is a standard 15-point course. There will be around 24 hours of seminars in this course. As a general guide, you should expect a workload of four hours outside of the classroom for each hour spent in class. The guideline for the total workload for this course is 150 hours.

Course Prerequisites, Corequisites and Restrictions

Prerequisite
Restriction

Locations and Semesters Offered

LocationSemester
City

Teaching and Learning

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including seminars to complete components of the course. Lectures will be available as recordings. The activities for the course are scheduled as a block delivery over two weeks for three hours per day four days per week. 

Learning Resources

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including reading lists and lecture recordings (where available). Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Additional Information on Learning Resources

The primary texts that will be referred to in Part 2 of the course are D Grinlinton, Residential Tenancies: The Law and Practice (4th edition, 2012, LexisNexis, Wellington), and Stewart Benson, Residential Tenancy Law in New Zealand (Thomson Reuters, Wellington, 2018).Students should purchase the Residential Tenancies Act 1986.Other texts that students will find useful include:

  • D Cowan, Housing Law and Policy (2011, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge);
  • N Campbell, T Collins, J Foster, T Gibbons, J Goodall, D W McMorland, S Scott & P Twist, Principles of Land Law in New Zealand (3rd edition, 2020, LexisNexis, Wellington) [generally on real property law, and specifically chapters 12 (Residential Tenancies) and 14 (Unit Titles and Cross-Leases)];
  • J Hohmann, The Right to Housing: Law, Concepts, Possibilities (2013, Hart, Oxford)
  • E Toomey (Gen Ed), New Zealand Land Law (3rd ed, 2015, Brookers, Wellington).

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license.


You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Other Information

The course is taught through lectures, starting on 3 February and ending on Thursday 13 February 2025. In person lectures will be held at the following times:- Monday and Tuesday 3, 4 February at 10am-1pm;- Wednesday 5 February at 12-3pm;- Friday 7 February at 12-3pm;- Monday and Tuesday 10-11 February at 10am-1pm;- Wednesday 12 February at 12-3pm; and- Thursday 13 February at 10am-1pm. * Note that Thursday 6 February is Waitangi Day - a public holiday. All lectures will be held 'in person' on Campus in the Stone Lecture Theatre, Room 801:316, Building 801, 9 Eden Crescent.Questions during lectures are encouraged as far as the presentation format allows.Office hours will be confirmed nearer the time. Office hours provide an excellent opportunity to clarify areas of misunderstanding or ask lingering questions about the course content.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

  • Honesty - in all aspects of research work
  • Accountability - in the conduct of research
  • Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
  • Good stewardship – on behalf of others
  • Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
  • Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.


Assessment and Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes

CLO #OutcomeProgramme Capability Link
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Assessments

Assessment TypeAssessment PercentageAssessment Classification

Assessment to CLO Mapping

Assessment Type12345678

Student Feedback, Support and Charter

Student Feedback

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions. Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Additional Information on Student Feedback

Following previous iterations of this course improvements have been made to the scheduling and content based on feedback from students.

Class representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Tuākana

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website.

Wellbeing

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed work is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due. If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter.

Student Academic Complaints and Disputes

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.