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Ever since the creation of the Auckland super city, murmurings have surfaced in Wellington about a greater Wellington council to include the Hutt Valley, Wairarapa and Kapiti. Intuitively, large councils seem undesirable; why take local governance further away from locals? Read more
On 25 July, a Dominion Post article (Consent proposals upset rural residents) asserted that, under a proposed district plan, rural landowners might face new requirements if their property includes dominant dune ridge lines, outstanding landscapes, amenity landscapes or ecological and geological sites. Owners in possession of such land may now require a resource consent to work on farm fences, culverts and farm tracks. Read more
Throughout most of human history, cities were the dominant force of political affairs. From the very first cities of Mesopotamia in the seventh millennium BC, to Athens and Rome, and the city states of the Middle Ages, cities drove the development of political affairs, of culture, of democracy, of finance, of the arts, of education. Read more
The New Zealand Herald ran two contributions on the housing affordability debate this week. The first was by the Bank of New Zealand’s Tony Alexander advocating the restriction of foreign investment in housing. Read more
If someone asked you how much of New Zealand was built upon, what would your guess be? 5% or 10%? Read more
There are many facets to New Zealand’s housing affordability conundrum, but the bottom line is there is a shortage of houses, and there is a shortage of new houses (dwellings) being built. Supply is not meeting demand as in other markets and prices are absorbing the difference. Read more
The New Zealand Initiative is launching the first in a series of reports on housing affordability, co-authored by former local government minister Hon Dr Michael Bassett and Luke Malpass. Priced Out – How New Zealand Lost Its Housing Affordability looks at long-term trends in housing regulation and social circumstances as well as the changing roles of local and central governments. Read more
By now, householders must be used to being exhorted by politicians, economists, and international agencies to save more. Yet, some policies encourage them to borrow in order to save or invest. Read more
It was difficult not to be underwhelmed after reading the government and Auckland Council’s Housing Accord released a couple of weeks ago. It was a manual of what has failed in almost every housing market in the world and showed one common problem: everyone agrees to build more houses and sets an arbitrary target without following through. Read more
Most New Zealanders probably know little about Switzerland. Until this week, my own knowledge certainly didn’t extend far beyond cheese, watches, and knives. Read more