Zealand Defence Force homes a "national disgrace", launching a campaign asking for submissions from families impacted by the "horrendous" houses.

In May, military advocate and spouse Erin Speedy penned a brutal open letter to the Government about the "horrendous" state of NZDF housing and has today launched a campaign called 'Mission Homefront' to support and advocate for serving Defence Force personnel and their whānau.

Some families had already shared their experiences and images with Speedy.

In our bedroom the black mould was so bad, once a month I had to scrub the walls with bleach and vinegar. Myself and my partner were constantly sick and same as our child," one submission said.

Another said they had made the decision to purchase a home due to their deteriorating health in military quarters, saying it was a "significant challenge on a military paycheck".

"I experienced recurrent illnesses every 3-6 weeks for 4-8 days at a time, including head colds and swollen glands. My doctor attributed these recurring illnesses to the living conditions in the military quarters, which were cold, damp, and had significant mould issues."

<span">Speedy told Breakfast her submission form already had "almost 50 submissions" with stories similar to these, and her goal was to "show New Zealand just how horrendous serving conditions are" by compiling submissions into a comprehensive report that could be taken to the Government and NZDF.

"I'm hoping to raise the voices of serving personnel. It's all about advocating for serving personnel and having their voices heard.

"In the Government's own briefing papers, it states the healthy homes is a minimum standard and yet, it still won't improve current poor conditions.

"Here we are, still living in these homes with mould and asbestos. Our kids are getting sick, our adults are getting sick to the point where our tamariki are being hospitalised, they're being taken away in ambulances because of those ongoing respiratory problems, those asthmatic problems that the conditions of these homes leads people to."

"They rely on healthy homes standards, but actually I know of instances where families have sought their own independent healthy homes reports and they have come back as failed. So there are comprehensive issues here," she said.

Speedy said low military pay is a factor, as families were left with "no other options" to pay for maintenance themselves, with some submissions reporting houses full of mould due to being unheated for 15 months and having no hot or running water. One family had to use a neighbouring properties' toilets for two months.

"It's not good enough, it's completely negligent and I genuinely believe it's a national disgrace," she said.

Asked whether she believed the Government had listened to her concerns, Speedy responded: "No."

"I do not believe that because that pay and salary increase, that was about $3000 for each serving member of the Defence Force. That doesn't even touch the sides, not when pay is at least 10% below the civilian market."

Speedy said the Government and NZDF relied upon Defence Force personnel "not being able to speak up" because personnel were bound by the Armed Forces Discipline Act 1971, which forbids any form of protest, strike or engagement in political activities.

"They [the Government] are aware of the figures of $400 million behind in maintenance, and the attrition rates, and the poor pay. They're aware of those salaries and those percentages.

"But what they're not aware of is the impact that those are having on serving personnel and their families who sacrifice so much and are being treated so poorly in return."

Speedy said people were the foundation of any organisation, and "when those aren't right, everything comes crumbling down around them".

"Help us … please. We can not keep living like this, we can not keep living in these conditions and we can not keep serving in these conditions."

The NZDF said as part of Budget 2024, $7m was allocated over four years to leasing additional residential housing for personnel at the Devonport Naval Base. A further $16m of capital has been allocated by the Chief of Defence Force from within NZDF baselines for Financial Year 24/25.

"This is in addition to more than $75m capital and $10m of operating expenditure in Budget 2023, and the more than $35m of maintenance invested over the previous four years to make defence housing healthier to live in," a spokesperson said.

They said the main programme of work in this area is the NZDF's Homes for Families Programme, which aims to modernise the defence estate and boost the number of leased houses in accordance with Cabinet approvals from July 2023.

When complete, the Homes for Families programme will result in 227 new houses, 877 houses being modernised, 524 long-term leased properties and some surplus stock released for sale and removal.

At the Waiouru Military Camp, the NZDF is delivering 50 new-build homes for families. It said it is planning to partner with Ngāti Rangi on the housing development and associated infrastructure funded through Budget 2023. Tenders for construction will be issued within the next month.

The NZDF said it is aware of the condition of its housing estate, which contains around 1800 houses. While all NZDF housing occupied by Regular Force personnel and their families meets the Healthy Homes standards, the NZDF said it is conscious that more needs to be done to ensure homes are fit for future generations to live in.

"NZDF personnel may choose to leave service for a variety of reasons. As has previously been reported, managing attrition rates across the NZDF has been a priority area for the organisation, with attrition rates declining compared to this time last year."

However, Speedy said the response about funding allocations from NZDF "doesn't even touch the sides".

"They rely on this 'Homes for Families Programme' which has been implemented, but it's unfunded. It relies on the annual budget process to be funded."

Associate Minister of Defence Chris Penk said the current conditions were "not providing an environment that supports Defence personal to do their job".

"For a number of years, the Defence estate has suffered from underinvestment and the Government makes no bones about the fact that significant work is required to bring its infrastructure and estate up to modern standards. I have visited bases throughout the country and have witnessed firsthand the deteriorated living conditions."

<span">He said "extensive work was required across the estate" and that more investment was required on top of the additional $571 million allocated to defence pay and projects in Budget 24.

<span">"The volume of work needed to modernise NZDF's infrastructure and estate represents a significant cost pressure for the Government, and we are actively working through solutions, including exploring opportunities outside the traditional budget allocation such as public-private partnerships. Work is underway and we are planning to announce more on this soon."