The legislative changes are designed to improve renters’ rights, but will they make a difference to the people who have borne the brunt of the housing crisis? A Māori public health provider has welcomed new tenancy laws that came into effect this month, but is concerned the new rights haven’t been communicated to the most … Read more
He quit politics to care for a wife who had suffered a brain haemorrhage. Today he holds leading roles at the apex of the two great challenges facing South Auckland: housing and health. Vui Mark Gosche tells Justin Latif why a change is coming. He is one of the most powerful people in South Auckland. … Read more
Achieving our emission reduction obligations means changing the nature of our homes. Here’s how we can do that. New Zealand’s homes need a refresh. Mouldy, leaky, cold homes that leach any semblance of heat to the outside world won’t cut it any more – if they ever did. Aside from the health benefits, making homes … Read more
Last year a swathe of new rental reforms were passed into law. This week, a number of those finally come into effect. So what can you expect? What’s all this? The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2020 delivered one of the most significant updates to our rental regulations in years. While some of those changes are … Read more
A community is outraged after Auckland Council granted consent for a row of trees planted by local kids to be removed along a revitalised waterway in South Auckland, reports Justin Latif. An Auckland Council decision to give contractors the all-clear to chop down 12 mānuka and kānuka trees shading Māngere’s Tararata Stream has angered and … Read more
Good morning and welcome to the Bulletin. In today’s edition: Collins outlines the plan forward for National, no spread of Covid spotted yet in Northland, and students return for climate protest. In front of a Rotary Club at the Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, National leader Judith Collins yesterday set out her party’s priorities for the … Read more
As house prices escalate rapidly around the country, Kawerau saw them more than double, the biggest nationwide increase over the decade. Alex Braae goes to the Bay of Plenty town to find out what impact it is having on renters. The headline figure was stark. Data from realestate.co.nz showed that over the last decade, Kawerau’s … Read more
Good morning and welcome to this one-off edition of The Bulletin, covering major stories from the last few weeks. A quick preamble to this: Today’s special edition of The Bulletin is all about filling you in on some of the stories you might have missed over the summer period. Perhaps you had the radio on in … Read more
Good morning and welcome to the final Bulletin of 2020. In today’s edition: A wrap of some of the issues that will matter in 2021, and a reflection on coming out of this tough year with hope. For the final Bulletin of the year, we’ll once again look ahead to the next one: Some people might … Read more
Five years ago a group of local cousins began a campaign to stop a proposed Fletcher Building housing development and restore the whenua into iwi ownership. Yesterday a deal was signed paving the way for its return. Justin Latif speaks to the woman who started it all about how they defied the odds and the … Read more
Ex-member of the exclusive Royal Auckland and Grange Golf Club and former New Zealand Herald owner Michael Horton has broken ranks with his former golf-playing peers to call out the club on plans to reduce the amount of rates it pays. Retired newspaper publisher Michael Horton and a small group of concerned South Auckland residents … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Why it matters Wairoa lost their dentist service, commercial rent relief won’t be revisited by government, and four year term referendum looking likely. It can be hard enough for key workers to live in the big cities, with the high cost of living. But for many … Read more
Stats NZ released a report yesterday that provides the most comprehensive view to date on housing in New Zealand. The findings are not pretty. It’s no surprise to anyone to hear that New Zealand’s housing is beset by great many problems. But it’s quite different to see the extent of the crisis laid out and … Read more
The fate of Māngere’s much-maligned cycle path network has become something of an obsession for Justin Latif. Now, he writes, solutions are being proposed – but not all are being welcomed by the community. I have the strange honour of having written several thousands of words about Māngere’s Te Ara Mua Future Streets cycleways for … Read more
And it’s not the only existing provision the Inland Revenue could look at enforcing in the face of runaway house prices and wealth inequality, writes Terry Baucher. Thirty-one years ago this month, then-Labour finance minister David Caygill proposed a comprehensive capital gains tax including the family home. The proposal was made following the release of … Read more
Tāmaki Makaurau is a city under construction, but are Māori and Pasifika architects and designers being given the opportunities they deserve? It seems everywhere you go in Auckland right now, there’s a new development of some sort. Whether it’s a new bridge, playground, some public housing or a refreshed streetscape, almost all these projects include … Read more
Experts have made the case for tax and interest rate adjustments to address the housing crisis in recent times. Hayden Donnell makes another, highly technical suggestion. There are as many ideas for fixing New Zealand’s housing crisis as there are houses in New Zealand. Political advisor Clint Smith has proposed limiting the tax benefits extended … Read more
So is capital gains tax a good idea or…? Depends who you ask, but this Auckland house (Janaye Henry) that just made $140,000 in a year makes a pretty strong case for why it might be good, actually. As your average Auckland house, I’ve got to say 2020 has been pretty great for me. Just … Read more
Currently, investors are essentially subsidised to outbid homebuyers. Instead, why not give homebuyers a tax cut and make the speculators pay? Have you ever wanted to throw a party but worried no one would come? My wife and I thought of having a party this year to celebrate paying off our mortgage but quickly realised … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Shocking incidents show prison culture, exchange of letters over monetary policy more exciting than it sounds, and Auckland locations close over Covid warning. A shocking story from Auckland Women’s Prison that raises questions about whether prisoners are being treated humanely. Radio NZ’s Guyon Espiner reports that … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: 5 million Covid vaccines on the way in major new agreement, new tourism minister confirms change in industry focus, and an outstanding outline of the current drug law mess. There is now the possibility that every single New Zealander who wants a Covid vaccine will … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Stories of the modern housing crisis, commerce commission to study supermarket industry, and Tauranga’s local government civil war deepens. The term ‘housing crisis’ featured a lot in NZ politics over the last decade, but it means different things to different people. In today’s Bulletin, I’m going … Read more
For extreme auctioneers, selling houses isn’t a nightmare – it’s a craft. Josie Adams talks to National Real Estate Auctioneering champ Ned Allison about discovering his talent, and what it takes to be a two-time winner. Every year real estate agents from around the country are locked in a room. Their phones are taken, and … Read more
As South Auckland’s property market heats up, those in poorly managed rentals often face a hard choice – complain and face the consequences, or stay quiet and keep their home. Neo is a half ragdoll, half moggy eight-month-old kitten. For Bronwyn Cann and Aaron Smith, the excitement surrounding Neo’s arrival was palpable – and finding … Read more
Selling houses is an art. There are the signs, the walk-through videos, and – hardest of all – the copy. What do you write to make someone buy a house? Here are some ideas. There are currently more than 25,000 houses for sale in New Zealand. There are only nine synonyms for “rustic”, and even … Read more
Real estate firms are hanging on to millions in wage subsidies despite a red-hot housing market recovery since June, reports Brent Melville of BusinessDesk. Three of the country’s leading realtors — Harcourts, Bayleys, and Barfoot & Thompson — claimed a combined $8 million in wage support for more than 1,000 employees when pandemic-induced lockdowns were … Read more
New analysis confirms what residents have long suspected: Wellington is substantially mouldier and damper than other New Zealand cities. “My flat had holes in the walls, letting slugs in to roam freely over my shoes and into the shower,” says Zoë Vaunois, a student at Victoria University of Wellington. “Similar holes also let spiders in … Read more
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Residents vow to rebuild after fire destroys dozens of Ohau homes, Christchurch stadium funding signed off, and complaint laid after EasyVote packs include campaign flyer. The fire that ripped through the Lake Ohau village has destroyed 46 houses, and burnt out more than 5000ha of … Read more
New Zealand’s housing market is going ballistic, defying economic forecasts and historic trends. Michael Andrew asks the experts what’s causing the clamour and what it means long term. Six months after Covid-19 first reached our shores, New Zealand’s economy has officially moved into recession. GDP is down 12.2% – the largest drop on record – … Read more