Housing Crisis stories
Record shortages of homes for sale are fuelling the pressure, with New Zealand’s median house price climbing to a fresh high for the fourth month.
House prices could be kept artificially high, worsening inequality and locking buyers into the cost of poor policy, Infrastructure New Zealand says.
Affordability is worsening for first-time buyers as house prices outpace incomes, deepening the housing divide and fuelling political pressure.
Only a third of New Zealand homes now qualify for the Home Start grant, intensifying calls to lift price caps before summer buying picks up.
More than 600 new homes are planned for a 70-ha Invercargill site, with developers saying the project could ease pressure on buyers.
Auckland faces heavier truck delays and rising costs unless ministers urgently assess whether a new harbour crossing is needed by 2030.
New planning laws may still fail to fix housing shortages and infrastructure gaps unless councils and agencies get more capacity and funding.
Such partnerships could help regions fund long-term projects, curb political meddling and ease New Zealand’s housing, transport and water strains.
Tenants will gain stronger eviction protections and annual rent caps, but landlords warn the new law could shrink supply and lift rents.
The milestone could help ease housing and emissions pressures, as the one-piece build cut material, time and budget by about 60 per cent.
Property values have already slipped nationwide, with tourism-dependent centres like Queenstown hardest hit as the recession starts to bite.
A slump in private development could let ministers add 9,400 state houses, easing a record waiting list and propping up builders.
New Zealand property owners are being urged to avoid panic decisions, as low rates and support measures may help cushion the lockdown fallout.
Billions in COVID-19 spending could be used to unlock projects, create jobs and speed New Zealand’s economic recovery, Infrastructure NZ says.
Auckland's housing crisis could deepen if the Drury project fails to deliver affordable homes despite NZD $2.4 billion in transport spending.
A new report has reinforced pressure on ministers to back council infrastructure spending, after all eight cities were classed as severely unaffordable.
Sixty-one terraced homes in Manukau will be priced from GBP £289,000, as the project packages whiteware, landscaping and parking.
Many first-home buyers will still be shut out by income and price caps, leaving family loans and deposits crucial to getting on the ladder.
A new report says devolving housing and transport could improve delivery, while central government keeps most tax revenue and oversight.
Jobseekers could cut training time from days to minutes as a new virtual reality tool is piloted to fill construction skills gaps in New Zealand.
