Tenants at the Table: Tenants' Perceptions and Experiences of Governance in Community Housing

This Master’s examines how community housing tenants in Aotearoa perceive and experience governance, with a focus on Te Toi Mahana, the community housing provider. Using constructivist grounded theory, eight tenants were interviewed to explore how communication, power, relationships, and organisational structures shaped their ability to participate in governance. Analysis generated four interconnected themes: Communication – An Uphill Battle; Them and Us – Fractured Relationships; Tokenistic Structures of Participation; and Desire for Tenant Governance. These themes revealed an overarching narrative of power: power imbalances and structures that limited tenants’ influence in decision-making. Despite the existing barriers, participants expressed a strong desire for both formal and informal roles in governance. The findings demonstrated that meaningful tenant participation required not only practical supports but also systemic cultural changes that address the structured hierarchies embedded in community housing. This thesis contributes new empirical insights to the limited Aotearoa literature and highlights opportunities for community housing providers to create more equitable and collaborative governance practices.