The report by UN special rapporteur Leilani Farha on adequate housing was tabled at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, following her visit to New Zealand in February last year.

Housing speculation, a lack of affordable housing options, limited protection for tenants, substandard housing, the absence of an overarching Te Tiriti (treaty) and human rights based housing strategy, and a lack of adequate social housing or state subsidised housing are the main causes of the crisis, the report says.

Farha said housing had become a "speculative asset" in New Zealand rather than a "home", citing low interest rates coupled with an underdeveloped rental housing system with inadequate tenant protections. Read more