Executive summary

Context

This study focuses on disabled people and their whānau’s experience of medium density housing (MDH) and builds upon the broader investigation by Auckland Council into how Aucklanders are living in recently built MDH (Ovenden & McKelvie, 2024).

MDH in this research includes duplexes, terraced housing, and apartments up to six storeys in height and consented after 2016. Three key factors necessitated undertaking this research. The first is the rapid change from standalone housing to MDH in Auckland with terraced and attached housing accounting for 62 per cent of new building consents in 2024. Secondly, the growing population of disabled people in Auckland. As of 2023, an estimated 242,000 disabled people lived in Auckland , with a range of disabilities including: physical, sensory, neurological, cognitive, and long-term mental health conditions. As the population ages, it is anticipated that there will be a growing number of disabled people. Finally, there has been little research to date in New Zealand regarding disabled people’s day-to-day lived experiences in MDH. Whilst a range of barriers in standalone housing are reported in the literature, it is not known what factors in MDH promote independence and wellbeing and which factors are barriers to living in the homes over the longer term. 

Method

The research employed a qualitative methodology with semi structured, open-ended and in-depth interviews to gain insights of the perspective and lived experiences of disabled Aucklanders residing in MDH. The following methods were employed:

Recruitment of 17 participants across 10 households, representing a range of disabilities, housing typologies, geographic areas, household compositions, and ethnicities.

• Review and analysis of architectural and landscape plans for each participant’s home.  
• Two hour semi-structured in-home immersions .  
• Post-visit researcher reflections and transcription of interviews.
• Workshops to identify key themes on how the design of MDH supports or constrains the daily lives of disabled people and their whānau. 

Participants and data collection

The participants of this research included a diverse range of disabled people living in MDH across Auckland. They lived with a range of long-term impairments, including physical (agility and mobility), sensory (vision and hearing), neurodivergence (Autism and ADHD), and mental health conditions.

Many households included more than one person with a disability or people with complex needs. The participant group included people from a range of ethnic backgrounds including Cook Island Māori, Pasifika, Filipino, Brazilian, and New Zealand European, ranging in age from under 5 to over 80 years.

Their homes were located across North, South, West, and Central Auckland, and included one duplex, six terraced houses, and three apartments. Seven participants owned their home, two homes were owned by family members that did not live at the home, and one household was renting.

The collated data from the interviews included sharing by the participants on household circumstances and housing expectations, the nature of disability of participants and their everyday occupations, and the need and agency to make changes to their home environments. The commonly occurring themes are organised and presented as key findings in three main chapters.

Key findings

This study found that the suitability of housing typologies for disabled participants and their whānau varied considerably, with some designs offering greater accessibility and adaptability than others. Overall, apartments work particularly well for disabled people when all rooms are on a single level, with an accessible route to the apartment. In general, two and particularly three-storey townhouses posed challenges for disabled participants and their whānau. Some challenges were anticipated prior to moving in, while the rest became apparent post occupancy over time. This indicates that MDH design must adapt to changing needs and abilities to enable tenure stability for disabled people.

The findings also revealed that disabled people complete all occupations including self-care, productive work, exercise and leisure within their home environment. This is partly because their home may be the safest and most accessible place, and partly because of difficulties associated with travel or decreased accessibility in the community. Since Covid-19, there has also been a considerable shift for disabled people to spend more time within their home environment, whether working or socialising. As a result, the need for the home to function well across these various occupations has become more acute.

Finally, the findings reveal, disability is not static but changes over time. Most MDH dwellings studied had undergone considerable modifications of varying levels to adapt dwellings to user needs. This indicates that embedding basic accessibility and flexibility at the design stage is essential to decrease the need for modifications and subsequent financial and displacement burden on households. Doing so enables the disabled person and their whānau to stay within their home, with established social and community connections and preserve it long-term.

Auckland Council technical report, TR2025/31, November 2025.

Report published June 2026.

See also

Life in medium density housing in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland