Business is Boring: The chief economist who made himself redundant and started a newsletter

Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he’s joined by economist Tony Alexander.  As chief economist at the BNZ for 25 years, Tony Alexander held one of the … Read more

One simple idea to fix New Zealand’s dysfunctional housing market

real estate auction

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

The age of co-ownership: A new way into the market for low-equity home buyers

Auckland’s property market is increasingly hard to crack for first-home buyers, but co-ownership could be the answer. Executive director of YouOwn, Nigel Spratt explained how it works to Alice Webb-Liddall. Despite the constant headlines about yet another 19-year-old who’s bought a house, the property market seems geared against anyone under 40 purchasing property. Coming to … Read more

The houses you could buy for $700,000 around New Zealand and the world

The average New Zealand house price has hit a record high at over $700,000. What could we buy outside of Auckland – and around the world – for the same price? For the first time since records began in 2007, the average asking price for a house in New Zealand has risen to over $700,000. … Read more