Nevil Pierse

BSc (Maths and Stats), MSc (Statistics), PhD
Deputy Director HHRP, Professor, University of Otago, Wellington
Nevil Pierse

Professor Nevil Pierse is co-leader of He Kāinga Oranga - Housing and Health Research Programme. Originally a statistician by training, his current work is done in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders including government and community organisations and is focused on the design and implementation of natural experiments to improve the home and community environments. Nevil and the research team was awarded a Prime Minister's Science Prize in 2014 for this work.

He is currently working on the Healthy Housing Initiative, which looks at home interventions to prevent rehospitalisation of children with housing-related disease. This programme has accessed and remediated over 30,000 homes in New Zealand and resulted in a decrease of nearly 10,000 hospital admissions. The Healthy Housing Initiative was awarded the Prime Minister's Spirit of Service Award in 2019.

Nevil also leads a programme looking at optimising the housing system, especially for those without housing. He works closely with a leading exemplar of this approach, The People's Project in Hamilton. Nevil has a keen interest in big data and leads five housing and health projects on the integrated data infrastructure. In 2021 this research group was awarded the Rutherford Medal for the quality and impact of their work.

Key publications

  1. Ombler J Jiang T Fraser B Nelson J McMinn C Hawkes K Atatoa-Carr P Pehi T Aspinall C Bierre S Schick K Howden-Chapman P Pierse N
    2024
    Five-Year Post-Housing Outcomes for a Housing First Cohort in Aotearoa, New Zealand
    International Journal on Homelessness 2024; 4(1).

    Abstract

  3. Howden-Chapman P Crane J Keall M Pierse N Baker MG Cunningham C Amore K Aspinall C Bennett J Bierre S Boulic M Chapman R Chisholm E Davies C Fougere G Fraser B
    2023
    He Kāinga Oranga: reflections on 25 years of measuring the improved health, wellbeing and sustainability of healthier housing
    Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand
    Volume 54, 2024
  5. Fraser B Jiang T Cordue H Pierse N
    2022
    Housing, Instability, and Discrimination amongst Takatāpui/LGBTIQ+ Youth in Aotearoa New Zealand
    Youth
    2(3), 339-351
  7. Pierse N Ombler J Chun S Fraser B White M Aspinall C McMinn C Howden-Chapman P Nelson J Hawkes K Jiang T Atatoa-Carr P
    2022
    Two-Year Post-Housing Outcomes for a Housing First Cohort in Aotearoa New Zealand.
    European Journal of Homelessness
  21. Robertson, O.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Baker, M.
    Atatoa-Carr, P.
    Pierse, N.
    (2020).
    Changes in area deprivation by moves for New Zealand children.
    Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health,
  26. Walker, G.J. Stelzer‐Braid, S.
    Shorter, C.
    Honeywill, C. Wynn, M. Willenborg, C. Barnes, P. Kang, J.
    Pierse, N.
    Crane, J.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Rawlinson, W.D.
    (2019).
    Viruses associated with acute respiratory infection in a community‐based cohort of healthy New Zealand children.
    Journal of Medical Virology,
    Open access.
  29. Oliver, J. Foster, T. Williamson, D.A.
    Pierse, N.
    Baker, M.
    (2018).
    Using preceding hospital admissions to identify children at risk of developing acute rheumatic fever.
    Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health,
    54(5), 499-505.
  32. Pierse, N.
    Ombler, J.
    Aspinall, C.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    (2017).
    Homelessness in New Zealand.
    The 12th European Research Conference on Homelessness,

    Proceedings of the 12th European Research Conference on Homelessness can be retrieved from http://www.feantsa.org.

  37. Oliver, J. Foster, T. Kvalsvig, A. Williamson, D.A.
    Baker, M.
    Pierse, N.
    (2017).
    Risk of rehospitalisation and death for vulnerable New Zealand children.
    BMJ, Archives of Disease in Childhood,
    103(4).
  38. Rangiwhetu, L.
    Pierse, N.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    (2017).
    Effects of minor household interventions to block draughts on social housing temperatures: a before and after study.
    Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online,
    12(2), 235-245
  42. Preval, N. Chapman, R.
    Pierse, N.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    The Housing, Heating and Health Team.
    (2010).
    Evaluating Energy, Health and Carbon Co-benefits from Improved Domestic Space Heating: A Randomised Community Trial.
    Energy Policy,
    38(8), 3965-3972.
  44. Free, S.
    Howden-Chapman, P.
    Pierse, N.
    et al.
    (2008).
    Does more effective home heating reduce school absences for children with asthma?
    Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health,
    doi:10.1136/jech.2008.086520.
  45. Fraser B Chisholm E Pierse N
    “There’s no room for falling apart:” Takatāpui/LGBTIQ + people’s experiences of homelessness in Aotearoa New Zealand
    Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services. 2023
    Abstract Takatāpui/LGBTIQ + people’s experiences of homelessness remain poorly understood in Aotearoa New Zealand. Using data from semi-structured interviews with eight people who identified as Takatāpui/LGBTIQ + and had experienced homelessness, this paper explores their experiences while homeless. The analysis showed the necessity of strength of character, how Takatāpui/LGBTIQ + people presented a different self in order to be accepted, the different strategies used to survive, the importance of implementing boundaries for self-protection, and missed points of intervention and support. Our findings show how participants were failed by the housing support system, and had to rely on themselves and their communities during periods of homelessness.

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