Housing stories
Councils face tighter rules and faster consents as New Zealand moves to boost housing supply, curb prices and fund infrastructure.
Councils could gain new powers and funding tools as a two-year review seeks to overhaul a system critics say is unfit for today’s demands.
Lockdown housing for the homeless highlighted how policy, modular building and state spending could curb New Zealand’s affordability crisis.
The package aims to boost supply and help first-home buyers, but experts warn it may not curb soaring prices or fix shortages quickly.
Home buyers could gain from easier grants, while investors face a tougher tax regime and rents may rise as a result.
Despite a $31 billion investment, Aucklanders are being warned motorway queues and emissions will still rise under the transport plan.
Kenya’s building sector could cut landfill and emissions as Nzambi Matee turns non-recyclable plastic into bricks stronger than concrete.
Additional public and transitional homes will be targeted at regional centres where demand has surged ahead of supply, worsening rents and overcrowding.
House prices could be kept artificially high, worsening inequality and locking buyers into the cost of poor policy, Infrastructure New Zealand says.
House prices in major cities have held firm through the downturn, though UBS warns falling rents and weaker incomes could trigger a correction.
New Zealand’s recovery could stall without fresh spending, as lawyers urge the next government to widen shovel-ready funding and speed reform.
Householders could cut power bills sharply as lenders and developers back solar, batteries and greener builds to meet demand for lower-emission homes.
Homeowners could save time and money as building consents are dropped for some small structures, from sheds and carports to solar arrays.
The 361-hectare South Auckland project could add USD $2.3 billion to the economy and house 2,000 people by 2027.
A slump in private development could let ministers add 9,400 state houses, easing a record waiting list and propping up builders.
Construction firms now have detailed COVID-19 rules to resume work under Alert Level 3, aiming to protect workers and avoid a return to lockdown.
COVID-19-driven revenue losses could force councils to cut infrastructure spending, hurting local economies and slowing recovery.
Tenants face a temporary freeze on rent rises and evictions as New Zealand's four-week COVID-19 lockdown halts viewings and house moves.
Billions in COVID-19 spending could be used to unlock projects, create jobs and speed New Zealand’s economic recovery, Infrastructure NZ says.
Statistics NZ said smaller standalone houses and more multi-unit builds have pushed the average floor area of new homes down 21% in a decade.
