Coho Hui Community Housing Conference draws global expertise
17 四月, 2025
Ara cohosts event seeking to advance collective housing
Cohio Hui 2025: A packed schedule of keynotes, academic sessions and workshops.
Ara Institute of Canterbury and The Housing Innovation Society (THIS) have partnered to bring the biennial Coho Hui 2025 to Ōtautahi for 2025.
The conference—dedicated to advancing collective housing in Aotearoa— is being held at Kahukura, Ara’s academic hub for engineering and architecture studies on April 16 and 17.
With the theme of “The Future of Housing”, Coho Hui 2025 is bringing together academics, industry leaders and housing professionals to discuss solutions aimed at redefining urban living and tackling systemic housing challenges.
It’s the first time the event has come to Ara thanks to the efforts of conference organiser Irene Boles, a senior academic in engineering in architecture at the institute.
Boles said she was excited to bring the leading experts together along with 100 delegates, for academic sessions, workshops and site visits.
"The rich perspectives our guest experts will be sharing, and the conversations our workshops will generate, will bring diverse ideas and new knowledge to Aotearoa, informing the collective housing movement here," she said.
Boles said academic research presented at Coho Hui will be considered for a special issue of the Urbanisation, Sustainability and Society (USS) Journal published by Emerald Publishing.
Opening the conference, Ara’s Dean of Faculty of Applied Technology, Academic, Innovation and Research Division Peter Sauer said Ara’s values aligned with the aims of Coho Hui.
“As we look to the future, we understand that the needs of our learners, community and industry are changing quicker than we have ever seen before. We are working at pace to understand and meet those needs as we strive to reach our goals while achieving academic excellence,” Sauer said.
THIS chair James Winter said community housing in New Zealand was still emerging compared to efforts achieved in other parts of the world.
“Our goal with this fourth Coho Hui is to bring further awareness to the sector and hopefully see more collective housing projects take off in Aotearoa,” he said in his opening remarks.
The conference features a powerhouse lineup of speakers, each bringing unique expertise to the conversation on housing innovation.
The lineup includes prominent voices in collective housing, with keynotes from Professor Louise Crabtree-Hayes (Western Sydney University, Australia) and Dr Tom Moore (University of Liverpool, UK).
Crabtree-Hayes will discuss the state of Community Land Trusts (CLTs) in Australia, exploring how these models ensure permanently affordable housing and what policy support they need to thrive.
Moore will share his research on community-led housing, touching on the challenges black and minority ethnic communities face, as well as policy lessons from Northern Ireland and innovative approaches to neighborhood transformation.
Other presenters include Jos de Krieger (SuperUse Studio, Netherlands) who will showcase pioneering circular economy projects, revealing how material reuse and sustainable construction can reshape medium-density housing.
Eleonora Fassina (Vandkunsten Architects, Denmark) brings Scandinavian cohousing expertise, focusing on collaborative development models that integrate private, rental and cooperative housing while fostering strong communities.
Mark Southcombe (Victoria University of Wellington, NZ) will present insights into New Zealand’s emerging collective housing projects, identifying green shoots and opportunities for growth in local housing initiatives.
Beyond keynote addresses, delegates will participate in academic sessions and workshops covering a diverse range of topics, from urban commoning to indigenous architecture and technological innovations in collective housing.
Delegates will visit three unique housing developments in Christchurch, each showcasing a different approach to community-led living: Papakāinga at Rāpaki, a Māori-led housing initiative; Te Pākau Maru in New Brighton, designed for community sustainability; and Peterborough Village, a central city collective housing neighborhood focused on urban regeneration.
Boles wanted to acknowledge the event’s sponsors Abodo Wood Ltd, The Urban Advisory, and 26Aroha for helping to make the hui possible.
