As part of its Housing Action Plan 2023-2025, Wellington City Council is taking several measures to support better housing outcomes in the city, including partnering with private building owners and developers There’s no denying that the housing crisis is the biggest issue facing Wellington, says Councillor Tamatha Paul, Chair of the Council’s Kōrau Tūāpapa Environment and Infrastructure Committee.  Continue →

Though National’s decision to somewhat back down on the Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS) comes as a disappointment, there are some good new policies in this plan, Better things are possible author Malcolm McCracken writes It’s important to start with the primary outcome of a National-led government implementing this plan – the ability for Councils to opt-out of the MDRS. Continue →

Last year, CBRE polled more than 20,000 people worldwide on how they want to live, work and play, but are the results applicable to New Zealand and how can they help guide strategies going forward? Continue →

As more and more student flats are taken off the market in Auckland’s university precinct, a $250 million facility will provide a new accommodation model that could be rolled out nationwide The opening of New Zealand’s largest student accommodation facility is set to boost the infrastructure of the country’s tertiary education sector. Continue →

The average cost of building a home in New Zealand’s main centres increased by 11.3% last year, but QV CostBuilder data indicates the rate of increase is now slowing In QV CostBuilder’s price update in December, more than 51,500 rates were updated, resulting in an 11.3% yearly increase in the cost to build a standard three-bedroom home. Continue →

The Government has introduced two of the three bills meant to replace and simplify the Resource Management Act, but skeptics are not sure what it will do for the housing crisis The development community remains in the dark as to how the new system will be governed, funded, or practically implemented by those at the coalface, says Property Council New Zealand chief executive Leonie Freeman. Continue →

A new investment partnership aims to build up to 100 new houses in Te Taitokerau, Associate Minister of Housing (Māori Housing) Peeni Henare says The Government is working with Te Pouahi o Te Taitokerau (a collective of Northland based Māori housing service providers and supported by Northland iwi, hapū and Ahu Whenua Trusts) to fund a prototype delivery model that will see 80-100 affordable rental homes and up to 110 infrastructure sites by 30 June 2025. Continue →

The Government’s new policy statement aims to protect the country’s most productive farmland from residential development, but does it go too far, or not far enough? Continue →

Further innovation is needed in the construction industry to meet both shorter and longer-term housing requirements, says Autodesk Construction Solutions Industry Strategist Sumit Oberoi The New Zealand Government’s Bill to increase housing supply, and the introduction of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD) in July 2020, are important measures to address the country’s housing shortage over the longer term. Continue →

An exemption from the interest limitation rules to certain types of new and existing build-to-rent developments will apply retroactively from October 1, 2021 To qualify, developments need to offer tenants leases of at least 10 years, Housing Minister Megan Woods says. Continue →

National residential construction cost pressures have continued to escalate, with both quarterly and annual rates of indexed growth reaching new record highs, CoreLogic finds CoreLogic NZ’s Cordell Construction Cost Index (CCCI) for Q2 2022 indicates the cost to build a ‘standard’ 200 sqm three-bedroom, two-bathroom single storey brick and tile house in Aotearoa rose 2.6% over the quarter, lifting annual growth to 7.7%, the largest increase since the CCCI commenced in late 2012. Continue →

The Government’s latest changes to its Kiwibuild scheme will make a real difference for developers and those looking for an affordable home, New Zealand Mortgages & Securities Director James Kellow says Changes include an increase to the price caps for one-to-three bedroom Kiwibuild homes, with the price cap for a three-bedroom Kiwibuild property in Auckland increasing from $650,000 to $860,000. Continue →

A $391-million masterplan aimed at transforming one of the key towns in the Snowy Mountains has been finalised The NSW Department of Regional Planning today released the 40-year masterplan for the Snowy Mountains’ Special Activation Precinct (SAP), aimed at transforming Jindabyne, best known as the gateway to the NSW ski fields, into a year-round economy. Continue →

Like New Zealand, Australia is facing issues with housing affordability, but industry groups are confident the new government’s housing policies could help turn things around, the Urban Developer reports Industry groups have given the new federal Labor government’s housing policies a tick, saying they are confident that it will help tackle housing affordability. Continue →

The Government has announced its plan to get New Zealand to zero carbon emissions by 2050, but more can be done with housing and buildings One of the biggest ways to reduce our emissions is to encourage high quality intensification of our housing supply across our metropolitan centres and along transit routes, says Property Council New Zealand Chief Executive Leonie Freeman. Continue →

The National Policy Statement on Urban Design (NPS-UD) and the introduction of Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS) are the latest steps being taken by the government to compel city councils to accelerate intensification of development, Colliers says The legislation has significant implications for city planners, developers and property owners. Continue →

After committing over a third of its housing acceleration fund to five Auckland suburbs, the Government could only promise up to $55.1m for a Maori housing project in New Plymouth Around 400 urban renewal projects in Mt Roskill, Mangere, Tāmaki, Oranga and Northcote will receive funding from the Government’s $3.8 billion Housing Acceleration Fund (HAF) to unlock more housing, Housing Minister Megan Woods says. Continue →

Building consent numbers will likely peak in the first half of 2022 – if left unchecked, the issues of housing supply and housing unaffordability could worsen significantly this year, Brad Olsen from Infometrics warns Annual inflation in the year to the December 2021 quarter was 5.9%, well outside the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s target of keeping inflation between 1 and 3% on average over the medium term. Continue →

A new bill has passed which is expected to deliver as many as 105,500 new houses in the next five to eight years by overruling district council plans New building intensification rules will mean up to three homes of up to three storeys can be built on most sites without the need for a resource consent.  Continue →

Many of the cases this week have been in large households, and people in emergency or transitional housing, health officials report A gradual declining trend in community Covid case numbers has been interrupted, with 45 new infections reported today. Continue →