Housing
Top Stories for Wednesday 1 November 2017
Will foreign buyers ban make difference in market?; Homes not 'commodities traded internationally' - David Parker; Blasts shake Invercargill pump station neighbours; Manus detention centre in chaos as… Audio
Foreign home-buyer ban: will it make any difference?
The government's plan to ban foreigners from buying homes in New Zealand is being dismissed by real estate agents as unlikely to change much.
Foreign home buyers to be banned - PM
Foreign speculators will be banned from buying houses in New Zealand from early next year, the Prime Minister says. Video, Audio
Government cracks down on foreign buyers
Foreign buyers will be banned from purchasing existing homes in New Zealand from early 2018. Economic Development Minister David Parker tells John Campbell homes are to be lived in, not traded by… Video, Audio
Building consent numbers fall
A dip in the number of new houses has pulled down the number of building consents for the first time in six months.
Chill of the Southland Airbnb: Workers crowded out
Southland is seeing a tourism boost, partly because of Airbnb, but it is also driving up a need for workers and the temporary rental service is leaving them with nowhere to live. Audio
'Not enough beds to sleep on'
Seasonal workers are turning down jobs due to an accommodation shortage caused by Airbnb in Southland. Business owners in Te Anau say workers are struggling to find accommodation in the tourist town… Audio
Council, Government urged to help fix facades
Wellington City Council isn't saying how long it's prepared to extend a deadline to strengthen the capital's unreinforced facades and parapets. At least half of the 100 building owners who had faced a… Audio
Shortage of teachers stalling building programme
A chronic shortage of people training to become teachers of trades is another hurdle to overcome if Labour is going to be able to build 100,000 new homes. RNZ News has been told this year there are… Audio
'One bump, anything could've made that collapse'
Shop canopies so unsafe they could collapse on pedestrians and kill them are a nationwide hazard, according to a steel frame engineering company.
NZ's growing population a concern for growers and farmers
New Zealand's rapidly expanding population is creating one of the biggest challenges growers and farmers have ever faced, as subdivisions and land development encroach on fertile soils.
Open plan offices
Extreme open plan offices, where you don't even have a desk, are trendy now but does that mean they will work for everyone? Bill McKay is Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture and Planning at… Audio
Satellite city idea: Could it work?
An idea for a satellite city in South Auckland that could house 500,000 people has yet to be discussed with the Auckland mayor. Audio
Building industry looks at profiling for apprentice loyalty
Some 35 to 40 percent of Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation apprentices leave their employers within 18 months of starting.
Jacinda Ardern's faces 100 days challenge
It's been official for less than a week and the new government is already under pressure to reveal how much its policies will cost the country and what can actually be achieved. The clock is ticking… Audio
Queenstown taskforce looks to curb Airbnb
Checkpoint - Property owners cashing in on Airbnb may soon face tighter restrictions in Queenstown. Audio
First home-buyers at highest level in 10 years
The proportion of people buying their first home is at its highest level in 10 years. That's according to a new report by property market analysts, CoreLogic. It also says there's a weakness in… Audio
Co-housing gaining popularity across New Zealand
With home ownership out of reach for many people, an alternative style of living is gaining hold in many parts of the country. Co-housing involves family homes being built in clusters of up to 35… Audio
Quake risk threatens most Auckland, Wellington high-rises
A newly released survey of high-rise buildings in Auckland and Wellington shows nearly all of them fail key earthquake standards. It shows 89 percent of ceilings are not secured well enough to… Audio
Construction industry warns new govt on ambitious plans
The new Government is being told it must end short term political thinking or else it will have no chance of meeting ambitious development goals in housing and transport. Even with consistent planning… Audio
