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Media release: RMA changes welcome, but problem bigger than housing

Wellington (22 January 2015): The New Zealand Initiative has welcomed the overhaul of the Resource Management Act, in particular the focus on housing affordability and the restoration of property rights, but is still concerned about the ambiguity surrounding Section 5. The latest overhaul of the legislation was announced yesterday by the Hon Nick Smith, Minister for the Environment and Minister for Building and Housing, citing economic research that indicated the RMA had cost the country 40,000 homes and added $30 billion in costs. Read more

22 January, 2015

Calling for immediate action to tackle housing crisis

New Zealand is far from the only country in the world facing a housing affordability crisis, according to the latest international report. According to the International Monetary Fund’s Global Housing Watch, surging property prices are a global epidemic, with GDP-weighted house prices having risen steadily for seven quarters in a row. Read more

Khyaati Acharya
Insights Newsletter
5 September, 2014

Empty Nests, Crowded Houses

Our regular readers will not be surprised that we believe the high cost of housing is a major challenge facing New Zealanders. As a crucial election issue, we have eagerly awaited each major party’s housing announcements, hoping they will pave the way for restoring housing affordability. Read more

Insights Newsletter
29 August, 2014

Rental WOF gets failing mark

With housing back in the pre-election spotlight, the Green Party this week launched their policy package, targeted at an often overlooked segment of the voter spectrum – renters. The problem, as the party sees it, is that a significant proportion of rental stock is in poor condition, and security of tenure for renters is weak, giving landlords disproportionate power in the contractual arrangement. Read more

Insights Newsletter
29 August, 2014

Media release: Nat’s housing policy will drive prices sky high: NZ Initiative

Wellington (25 August 2014): National’s Homestart policy will fuel higher house prices and make it harder for Kiwis to enter the housing market, according to economic think-tank The New Zealand Initiative. Executive Director Dr Oliver Hartwich says any housing policy aimed at making housing more affordable must start by increasing supply. Read more

25 August, 2014

Media release: New Zealand’s ‘missing cities’

Wellington (22 August 2014): New Zealand faces a chronic housing shortage the size of three major cities within 20 years, according to a new report from the New Zealand Initiative. The report claims claims the country could reach a shortage of 113,800 houses by 2031 and official figures underestimate the scale of the crisis. Read more

22 August, 2014

Targets prudent on Auckland train project

Recently, Transportblog.co.nz bemoaned the fact that Auckland CBD was running out of office space.The pro-transit and compact city advocacy group is concerned because central government is insisting that certain rail usage and CBD employment targets be met before it co-funds the $2.9 billion City Rail Project. These targets include the doubling of rail patronage to 20 million trips a year, and lifting the number of people employed in the CBD by 25 per cent (or 22,000 jobs) if the city wants the project to start in 2020. Read more

Stuff.co.nz
6 August, 2014

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