Abundant land likely around Christchurch - PM

6:31 am on 13 September 2011

Prime Minister John Key says he does not believe that Cantabrians who go into the housing market later than others, under the Government's red zone buy-out deal, will face higher prices for land.

The Government has offered to buy more than 6000 properties where the land is too quake-damaged to rebuild on.

Mr Key says Christchurch has an abundance of surrounding land, unlike other major cities, and he does not believe that land will necessarily become more expensive in the future.

He says sizeable areas of land are likely to be available; Ngai Tahu is a major developer and the Government itself has inherited a lot of land from South Canterbury Finance.

"If anything, the flow might be so great later on that prices actually more reflect that."

He says the Government is very aware that some people, including the elderly, may struggle to afford or even secure a new mortgage.