The theory and practice of a politics of compassion in the private rental sector: a study of Aotearoa, NZ and ‘kindness’ during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

What is a politics of compassion, and what are the implications for the private rental sector? In this article, we describe how an intended politics of compassion manifested in Aotearoa during the pandemic and analyse how this compares to compassion’s theoretical framing in the work of Martha Nussbaum. Building on these theoretical insights, we then turn to practice, by analysing the vulnerabilities of, and barriers to, a politics of compassion evident in Government and landlord response to renters during the pandemic. We find a compounding of existing power inequity and the absence of compassion from political and administrative understandings in the face of neoliberal myths of the individualised market and fear of opportunism from those in poverty. We conclude with a discussion of the potential for a more compassionate private rental sector and make the case for an analysis of power, equity, and justice, in the theory and practice of a politics of compassion.