Beehive Briefing:
Unlocking
Tiny Homes on Wheels
as a Housing Solution
Exciting news! — tiny homes on wheels legislation is moving forward, and I’ve been invited to present at the Beehive to Parliamentarians at the end of May.
This is a real opportunity to bring the tiny home conversation into decision-making spaces. It’s important that the room reflects not just policy voices, but also those across the tiny home community, architecture, building, and wider industry — this is a chance to be part of that conversation.
Have a read through the details below and register your interest to attend. Seats are limited. If you’re unable to make it on the day, please instead sign up below to receive a link to the recording and follow up information.
Viable Housing Opportunity
New Zealand’s housing challenge isn’t just about supply — it’s about access.
This Parliament briefing presents a clear, research-backed pathway to enable Tiny Homes on Wheels (THOWs) as a safe, affordable, and legitimate part of our housing system.
Based on Master of Architecture research, this session moves beyond theory to outline practical legislative and policy solutions that can be implemented within existing frameworks.
What Will we Discuss
Why Tiny Homes on Wheels?
THOWs provide a viable alternative housing pathway — enabling home ownership without land purchase, reducing financial pressure, and supporting improved wellbeing outcomes
The Legislative Challenge
Current barriers are not technical — they are regulatory.
THOWs sit across multiple frameworks (Building Act, Resource Management Act, and transport legislation), creating inconsistency, uncertainty, and risk for owners and councils.
A Clear, Workable Solution
This talk outlines a nationally consistent, performance-based pathway, including:
A THOW-specific Acceptable Solution under the Building Code
Recognition of the trailer as an engineered foundation system
Alignment within planning frameworks to recognise THOWs as legitimate dwellings
Why This Matters
Provides a policy-ready solution to housing affordability
Unlocks safe, compliant housing options using existing systems
Reduces reliance on discretionary, case-by-case decisions
Supports better outcomes for communities, councils, and industry
THOWs are not a workaround — they are a credible, scalable housing typology currently constrained by regulatory misalignment rather than performance limitations.
Who Should Attend
This session is relevant to those shaping, influencing, and delivering housing outcomes in Aotearoa:
Parliamentarians and central government agencies involved in housing, building, and regulatory systems
Local government leaders, planners, and policy professionals navigating implementation on the ground
Architects, designers, engineers, and builders working across residential and small-scale housing
Industry stakeholders and innovators exploring new housing models and delivery approaches
Tiny home owners, advocates, and community members directly engaged in the sector
About me
I am a designer and small-housing specialist with experience spanning 15 years of shaping thoughtful, high-quality interiors and buildings. I am the author of Living the Airstream Life (HarperCollins New York) and an award-winning Tiny House designer, recognised for creating compact homes that balance beauty, performance, and long-term liveability.
My studies include a Bachelor of Design, Bachelor of Architectural Studies, and a Master of Architecture, and bring together design expertise, lived experience, and rigorous research in my practice.
My Master’s thesis places my work at the forefront of Tiny Homes on Wheels policy and design in Aotearoa New Zealand. The research demonstrates that THOWs can be safe, healthy, and high-performing homes, and that the primary barrier to their wider adoption is regulatory misalignment, not design capability.
This work directly informs my design practice, giving me uncommon regulatory insight and enabling me to design small homes that are both beautifully resolved and legally resilient, while actively contributing to clearer, nationally consistent pathways for small, affordable housing.
Be Part of the Conversation
This is an opportunity to engage with a clear, actionable pathway to unlock tiny homes as part of New Zealand’s housing future.
The event will be held in person on 26 May 2026 at the Beehive, Wellington, New Zealand.
Due to limited capacity — and to ensure a balanced mix of attendees across the tiny home community, architecture, building, and wider industry — this form is to register your interest only.
If your place is confirmed, full event details (including timings, access requirements, and final registration information) will be provided.
Please only register if you are available and able to attend in Wellington on the day. This is a valuable opportunity for meaningful discussion, and we want to ensure seats are allocated to those who can participate — rather than having others miss out.
A recording will be made available following the event for those who are unable to attend in person.
Sign up to attend
Not a Loophole. Not a Workaround.
”A Master’s thesis just marched calmly through the Building Code with a highlighter and did what online arguments never manage. If you care about where this industry is heading, this is not light bedtime reading. It is sector-shifting.”
Tiny Living Magazine
Feb 2026