Homes of Choice

Homes of Choice We provide disabled people with safe and accessible housing solutions to live with dignity.

01/09/2026

Disabled people have long been expected to adapt to a world that wasn’t designed with them in mind.

In 1975, New Zealand took an important step towards changing that.

The Disabled Persons Community Welfare Act introduced accessibility requirements for buildings open to the public. It marked a real shift in thinking: the environment was expected to change for disabled people, rather than the other way around.

More than 50 years later, things are still much the same. We have accessibility requirements for many public buildings, but ordinary private homes are generally excluded.

Aotearoa still has no single overarching accessibility law.

Across the ditch, Australia’s National Construction Code now includes minimum accessibility features for new houses and apartments, including step-free access, wider doorways, clear space around toilets and step-free showers.

Here, accessible housing is still far from the norm.

And if you’ve never had to think about accessibility, it can be easy not to notice.

A step is just a step. A narrow doorway is easy to overlook. You probably don’t think twice about whether you could actually use your bathroom if getting around became harder.

Until you’re injured. Until you get older. Until your mobility changes, or someone you love can no longer use your home the way they once did.

Suddenly, the things you never noticed are everywhere.

And a place that has always felt like home can start to feel like a house that wasn’t built for you.

That’s what makes accessible housing bigger than a list of design features. It can be the difference between a home that keeps working for you and one that suddenly doesn’t.

We expect our homes to last for decades.

So why do we still build so many of them as though disability is something that happens to other people?

Over the past year, people have trusted us with stories about what Homes of Choice properties have made possible in thei...
04/08/2026

Over the past year, people have trusted us with stories about what Homes of Choice properties have made possible in their lives.

Looking back, these are some of the words that have stayed with us.

“Knowing that he feels it is his safe place and his home says a lot when your son is non-verbal.” - Vicki, Anthony’s mum

“But here, it’s different. I can see the sun. It makes me want to recover.” - Tasi

“Accessibility isn’t just ramps and wide doors. It’s about being able to live your life. To have independence. To be yourself.” - Gabrielle

“It’s my home until I pass this life. That means everything.” - Mama Mafileʻo

“It feels like a real home. And that’s something I didn’t really have before.” - Ciara

“It gives a safe and secure home for people who might be a bit different. And it shows we can live by ourselves. People probably think we can’t. But we can.” - Oliver

Different homes. Different stories. Each one a reminder of what the right home can make possible.

These words are why we do what we do. 💚

There are more than two million houses across Aotearoa New Zealand. But how many homes are there?A house can give us she...
23/07/2026

There are more than two million houses across Aotearoa New Zealand. But how many homes are there?

A house can give us shelter. But a home is often about something more.

What is that “something more” for you? Let us know in the comments below. 💬

14/07/2026

A few weeks ago, we introduced you to Anthony and JiaBei.

Today, we wanted to show you the transformation behind their story.

For years, Young Road Cottage worked as best it could.

But over time, some things became harder to ignore.

There was only one toilet.

The spa sat unused for years, eventually becoming a place to store paperwork, boxes and other household items.

JiaBei's bedroom door opened directly beside Anthony's room, which could make difficult nights even more difficult.

The cottage had a patchwork of repairs. Anthony would sometimes stomp through ageing floorboards, while JiaBei would sometimes damage walls and ceilings as he sought sensory input.

That's what the renovation set out to change.

A second toilet was added. The layout was reconfigured. Spaces were opened up. The floors and ceilings were strengthened. The cottage became brighter, larger and easier to move through.

For years, Anthony couldn't properly enjoy the spa.

Now he can.

"Warm water relaxes his muscles," says his mum, Vicki. "If he needs the toilet, he can easily get out of the spa, use the toilet that's in the same room, and then re-enjoy his spa."

"Just like we had when he was little."

A repositioned bedroom door has reduced night-time disruptions. Family gatherings have more room to breathe. The home feels calmer.

Because the best renovations don't just transform buildings.

They transform what life at home can look like.

For more than 20 years, Young Road Cottage has been home to Anthony and JiaBei.It's where birthdays have been celebrated...
30/06/2026

For more than 20 years, Young Road Cottage has been home to Anthony and JiaBei.

It's where birthdays have been celebrated, Christmas lunches shared, and Sunday visits spent pottering around Anthony's garden. It's where two disabled men have shared a home for so long that, as Anthony's mum Vicki puts it, they've become family.

Recently, the cottage underwent a major renovation, thoughtfully designed around their individual needs.

But when asked what the renovation means to her as a parent, Vicki's answer has very little to do with walls, hallways or toilets.

"Knowing that he feels it is his safe place and his home says a lot when your son is non-verbal."

For Vicki and her husband Keiron, that's what matters most.

"And for us it's peace of mind for his future happiness and wellbeing, when we are no longer alive."

When asked what she wants people to understand about the importance of housing, Vicki doesn't talk about buildings.

She talks about home.

"The home needs to be designed around the very individual needs of the people who will be living there and calling it home."

At Young Road Cottage, that's exactly what the renovation set out to achieve.

Not just a better building.

A better home.

For Anthony. For JiaBei. And for the people who love them.

26/06/2026

“Families like mine will always do everything we can. That's not in question. But we cannot be the system.”

Earlier this week, Justin Walsh, one of our kaimahi, presented Spectrum's oral submission to the Parliamentary Select Committee on the proposed changes to the Disability Support Services Bill.

Our submission was shaped by the feedback of the people we support, their whānau, and you, our community. It was also grounded in Justin's own lived experience, both personally and as the father of a disabled son who requires 24/7 support.

We couldn't be prouder of Justin, our community, and everyone who took the time to share their voice.

He aha te mea nui o te ao? Māku e kī atu, he tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata.

A single fall. That's all it took.Tasi was holidaying in Samoa when it happened.“I tried to get back up and nah, nothing...
18/06/2026

A single fall. That's all it took.

Tasi was holidaying in Samoa when it happened.

“I tried to get back up and nah, nothing was working. My arms and legs weren’t responding.”

Fast forward seven months after staying in Auckland Hospital, Waitākere Hospital, and finally the Auckland Spinal Rehabilitation Unit... and Tasi was confronted with a reality many disabled people in New Zealand know all too well.

A lack of accessible housing.

He had been on the housing register, but nothing came of it. And so, he took his only option: moving into his family's garage.

“I was in the garage for... close to a year. I had no access to a bathroom or a toilet. Everything had to happen in the garage. I had to do a lot of bed washes. I didn't have a proper shower for almost a year. It was cold. And lonely at times.”

Nobody should have to live that way. But as we know, there is a difference between how things should be and how they are. Especially for disabled people.

Stats NZ's 2023 Household Disability Survey found that disabled people are more likely to live in poor-quality housing, with 29% saying their home is colder than they would like in winter and 25% reporting damp living conditions.

The numbers are sobering, yes, and too often the people they represent and their stories are forgotten.

Not Tasi.

Not this time.

While scrolling Facebook, Tasi came across a Homes of Choice ad for an accessible home in Henderson.

Not long after, he moved in.

“It’s pretty much given me my confidence back. I feel like a person again. I get to shower, work from home, have my own privacy... before, people would just walk into my garage, and I'd be lying there half naked. Now my home is my home.”

Family is important to Tasi. In this new home, his sister and her kids live upstairs, while he lives downstairs.

“We get to have dinners together. Watch movies together. Game nights, family nights, stuff like that. I can spend time with them, but I can also have my own space.”

“Before I couldn't do that. In the garage, it almost felt like I was a burden because people had to go out of their way just to come in and spend time with me.”

Like many people, accessibility wasn't something Tasi thought much about before his accident.

Now, he understands just how much the right environment can shape a person's outlook.

“Being in a space like this is way more helpful for recovery. It makes you want to recover. I truly believe your environment shapes your outlook.”

“Living in the garage was like, 'Ugh, I don't want to do anything. I don't want to get up and do my physio.'”

“But here, it's different. I can see the sun.”

“It makes me want to recover.”

When asked what the word ‘home’ means to him now, he said this:

“Home is family. Anywhere my family is, that's where my heart is, and that's where my home is.”

“But accessibility means I can connect with them better. That's what accessibility is. Being able to access the things that make us feel at home.”

Accessible homes cost too much.Yeah right.That's the myth. The reality is that it's almost 10 times cheaper to build acc...
07/06/2026

Accessible homes cost too much.
Yeah right.

That's the myth. The reality is that it's almost 10 times cheaper to build accessibility into a home from the start than it is to retrofit it later.

Research from BRANZ found that including Universal Design features during construction costs around $1,700 on average. Making those same changes after a home is built can cost up to $14,000.

Yet only 2% of homes in Aotearoa are considered accessible.
A wider doorway. A step-free entrance. A bathroom that helps prevent falls.

These aren't luxury features. They're practical design choices that make homes safer, more comfortable and easier to live in for years to come.

The numbers are clear. It's time to build like accessibility matters.

Growth deserves to be celebrated. Especially in a sector that asks so much of people every day.Over the past nine weeks,...
28/05/2026

Growth deserves to be celebrated. Especially in a sector that asks so much of people every day.

Over the past nine weeks, staff from across Spectrum Care, Homes of Choice, and Spectrum Foundation have taken part in our Coaching, Diversity and Leadership programme, building confidence, challenging themselves, and growing alongside their peers.

Now in its third year, the programme continues to evolve alongside our kaimahi, shaped by the realities of the work they do every day.

Leadership in our sector is deeply human. It asks people to hold complexity, build trust, support others through hard moments, and keep showing up with care.

Congratulations to this year's graduates, and arohanui to everyone who makes this programme possible. 🙌

Looking for an accessible place to call home in central Wellington? We currently have a one-bedroom apartment available ...
27/05/2026

Looking for an accessible place to call home in central Wellington? We currently have a one-bedroom apartment available on the female-only floor at Te Ki a Alasdair.

The fifth-floor apartment includes:

🛏️ One bedroom
🚿 Walk-in shower
🛜 Free WiFi
🌇 Beautiful views across Wellington

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Be on the MSD Housing Register
• Have wrap-around support
• Have a disability
• Be able to safely walk down stairs from the 5th floor in the event of an emergency evacuation

If you meet the eligibility criteria and are interested in learning more, please email Felicia Quirk at [email protected].

Address

Level 2, 205 Great South Road, Greenlane
Auckland
1051

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