Housing
Bill to fix problems and risks of apartment ownership
A new bill seeks to address the problems with buying apartments, such as 'proxy farming,' within the Unit Titles Act. It has the unanimous support of all parties The author of the Private Members… Audio
Residents angry after years of inaction from Kāinga Ora
Couches, blankets and a broken pram are just some of the items that have been dumped in an empty section in the Tauranga suburb of Hairini.
Auckland 'character' houses may be developed for more homes
A quarter of Auckland's character homes are marked to lose their heritage status when higher density rules come into force later this year.
Auckland Council has released draft maps of the areas… Video, Audio
Home buyers increasingly resorting to pooling their resources - bank
As first-time buyers look to break into the property market, more and more people are open to the idea of buying their first home with friends. Audio
Evie Kemp shares her upcycling secrets
Designer Evie Kemp loves to breathe life and colour into old and second hand furniture. She has honed this skill from childhood and she tells Karyn her secrets. Audio
Banks encouraging co-ownership to get on property ladder
As inflation bites and house prices stay stubbornly high, banks are now encouraging less tradition methods of home ownership. Currently, if a median-income household saved 15 percent of their income… Audio
Sloppy builders may be contributing to building inspection delays
Building inspection wait times have shot up for many councils, with some scrambling to reduce them from seven weeks back to the usual three to five days.
Secret council proposal to sell 10 reserves for housing revealed
Under the proposal, five reserves would be sold to Kāinga Ora, three to private developers, and two would become pensioner housing, documents obtained by Local Democracy Reporting suggest.
Golf clubs fear losing public-owned land
Auckland golfers are worried about council plans to use public courses for more public purposes - such as housing, community facilities, public walkways or business use.
The council's draft… Video, Audio
'Up the creek': Builder blasts council over long wait for house inspections
Some builders are threatening to bypass council inspections due to "absurd" delays in getting staff on site.
House price index: Brakes go on housing market
A growing supply of homes, higher interest rates and tighter lending rules are contributing to a slow down in house price growth.
Rotorua's challenge to house homeless and holiday-makers
The border's now open to Australians but some traditional tourist towns have some recovering to do, after a bruising couple of years.
The head of Rotorua's economic development agency fears tourists… Video, Audio
Future tradies lining up to pick up tools
Trade training is booming with thousands more people signing up for apprenticeships since the pandemic began.
House price growth dips, but still not easy for 1st home buyers
A decrease in house prices and an increase in supply has turned the market in favour of buyers.
But with the average house in New Zealand still costing one million dollars it's not easy to get a foot… Audio
Housing market shifts in favour of buyers - QV
The QV House Price Index has its largest quarterly drop in more than a decade, as rising interest rates and tighter lending drives down prices in major centres.
Students compromise on food to live in damp, mouldy homes
A survey of tertiary students has found a third of students have mould larger than an A4 sheet of paper growing in their houses at least some of the time.
Uni students more than twice as likely to live in mouldy homes
Tertiary students are more than twice as likely as the rest of us to be living in damp and mouldy homes.
That's the finding of a survey of 522 students by researchers at the University of Otago.
And… Video, Audio
Students suffer as they struggle to heat cold flats
Tertiary students are more than twice as likely to be living in damp, mouldy homes, according to new research.
Low incomes mean they face energy poverty, hampering their physical and mental health -… Audio
Underwhelming uptake for Kāinga Ora First Home scheme
Kāinga Ora is positive about its First Home Partner scheme, despite taking more than three months for a single property to be settled.
Kāinga Ora positive about First Home Partner scheme
Kāinga Ora is positive about its First Home Partner scheme, despite taking more than four months to settle a single property.
The progressive homeownership scheme, which launched in early October… Audio
