Lay summary
Home hazards are a major cause of injury for Maori. This study will capitalise on an existing cohort of Maori houses, included in the Best Outcomes for Maori : Te Hoe Nuku Roa longitudinal study. Audits of 350 Maori houses (Manawatu, Wellington, Nelson) will be undertaken using the Health Housing Index developed by members of this research team. Trained Maori auditors from building science backgrounds will undertake the audits. All houses will undergo remediation: half of the houses will be randomly assigned to an intervention group where remediation of selected hazards will be undertaken by professional builders, with the balance of the houses remediated at the end of the randomised-control-trial. Post-intervention audits will be carried out after the conclusion of this intervention study. We will also assess emergency preparedness for earthquakes, determining structural and behavioural risks for Maori. A Maori doctoral student will complete her training.