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Stay amongst it

If you got amongst it with "Green Your Scene", the Sustainability Neighbourhood is an option for international students while flatting!

Do you want to:

  • Live in a flat where your mates care about the environment and community?
  • Learn more about how to live sustainably?
  • Be part of research into how all students could reduce their impact?

Then the Sustainability Neighbourhood might be just the place.

If you are a domestic student, and think you could support students who want to live more sustainability then perhaps you could be a kiwi host in the neighbourhood?

What you should expect

The Sustainability Neighbourhood is the Otago flatting experience that you're here for, with the added layer of making an impact.

The Sustainability Neighbourhood is owned, managed and maintained by the University of Otago. Therefore, you can expect a high level of accommodation, quick and reliable service and well maintained flats - meaning cosy winters!

There is work involved in making a sustainable community a success. You will be able to share your values with others while doing your share of the work. This might be in the garden, part of an organising group, or a wide range of other contributions. You will also receive support from UniFlats and the Sustainability Office throughout the year.

What's involved?

We have carefully picked a group of high quality flats, which are all well suited to a small community focused on living more sustainably.

The flats will be set up for you to:

  • Grow food
  • Compost
  • Recycle
  • Be energy efficient
  • Lead active healthy lives

Living Lab

The neighbourhood will be set up as a "Living Lab". This means that you will be piloting an exciting new model of student flatting. You, other students, and researchers will all be looking into what can be done. We expect that what we learn in the neighbourhood can be shared and have an impact on the student flatting scene as a whole.

As a living lab there will be a range of research activity happening across the year. All research will be designed to respect your privacy and has gone through ethics process to check.

We want to share what works and look for answers to what does not, so there will be presentations, publications etc. about the sustainable neighbourhood. You should expect your privacy to be respected in all of these.

This is a new project so you will be involved in how it is set up - you can make a difference.

How do I get a place?

Uniflat is accommodation for international students. In the Sustainability Neighbourhood we want to get the right people, so only applications from students who can demonstrate that they can support sustainability, be part of a community and are willing to do the mahi will be considered.

Apply for student accommodation

The fine print

You will be offered a Residential Contract that will be managed by UniFlats – this contract is somewhat different than a standard contract that falls under the Residential Tenancy Act.

How the UniFlats community operates

Your contract will be a Fixed Term Contract and cover the period 18 January until 20 December 2022 (48 weeks) with a weekly rental of $210.00.

Included in the total fee is a fully furnished flat (including your bedroom), electricity, internet, community events and the services of the UniFlats Team.

Not included is the cost of food, bed linen and other personal expenses.

UniFlats FAQs

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