NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business

Lawrence Yule: Wider approach needed on housing

By Lawrence Yule
NZ Herald·
10 Dec, 2014 04:00 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Building new houses in Auckland is not the only answer. Photo / Chris Gorman

Building new houses in Auckland is not the only answer. Photo / Chris Gorman

Opinion
Creating vibrant communities NZ-wide will encourage people to look beyond cities, writes Lawrence Yule.

Homeowners in other parts of the country could be forgiven for looking at their counterparts in Auckland with envy as headlines flag up soaring property values in the city.

Many Auckland dwellers have become millionaires on paper due either to dramatic increases in valuations of their homes or CVs rocketing by more than a third in the past three years.

However, apart from those planning on cashing up and moving away, the overheated market is a challenge for Auckland dwellers. Buying in Auckland has simply become impossible for many.

A recent report by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER ) pinpointed the overvalued Auckland housing market and slowing global growth as key risks to New Zealand's economic outlook. It also predicted that if the Auckland housing bubble bursts, that will dent consumer confidence and banks' willingness to lend.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Clearly the overheated housing market is not good for Aucklanders, and it's not good for NZ Inc either.

The problem of housing affordability in New Zealand is not just confined to Auckland. A recent international survey found housing to be unaffordable in all eight of New Zealand's major markets. The Economist magazine also found New Zealand house prices were among the most overvalued in the world. However, the problem is most acute in Auckland.

Building more dwellings is one part of the solution. Part of the Government's approach to tackling this is a new Productivity Commission inquiry into use of land for housing.

The Government has asked the commission to "examine the bylaws, processes and practices of local planning and development systems across New Zealand's faster-growing urban areas". This will, most likely, reignite debate about the role of local government in addressing housing affordability.

Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) strongly supports identifying solutions to housing affordability and welcomes the commission looking at how land planning systems can better benefit cities and how local authorities assess demand for and supply of land.

However, when considering housing supply and affordability, it is important to recognise the many factors at play.

Discover more

Banking and finance

Dollar gains as investors shed greenback

09 Dec 07:36 PM
Banking and finance

House sales up, prices rise in November

09 Dec 11:19 PM
New Zealand

Federated Farmers: Managing rural subdivision a complex business

09 Dec 04:00 PM
Banking and finance

NZ dollar pares gain after Fonterra cuts forecast payout

10 Dec 04:18 AM

Overall, land shortages are not the issue. Independent research commissioned by LGNZ found that apart from a small number of metropolitan areas, residential land supply shortages are not a universal problem.

Major issues affecting the supply and affordability of housing range from the timing of private-sector land sales to how long developers take to build once land has been zoned. Banking policy, construction costs and the high cost of building materials - highlighted in the Productivity Commission's last report in 2012 - also play a part.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Another recent NZIER report also found that demand for bespoke housing, poor project management and slow uptake of technology were factors in slowing productivity in the building sector.

And council roles in planning are not always clear cut. Changing zoning plans is complex and frequently subject to litigation and decisions are often challenged.

Local government will be determining how it can work with the Government on changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) - and providing input on ways to make RMA processes more efficient and accessible for the public.

This includes Housing Accord processes that streamline and better focus public participation, template formats for consistency, plan provisions with greater clarity around expected outcomes and more accessible e-planning tools.

Statistics from the Ministry for the Environment show that timeliness of consenting has never been better, with 97 per cent of consents processed within statutory timeframes.

Tackling housing shortages is about much more than cutting through the red tape.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

LGNZ strongly advocates that the most effective way forward is through a co-ordinated effort between local and central government - to drive regional development and revitalise regional economies.

Simply building new houses in Auckland is not the only answer. A total of 591 new-dwelling consents were issued for the city in October. Over the past decade Auckland's population has grown by between 21,000 and 24,000 a year, much of that fuelled by migration. The city is estimated to need 10,000 to 13,000 new dwellings a year.

Auckland Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse says the Auckland experience of structural housing unaffordability is one faced by many growing cities around the world. People want to live where there are good job prospects, where high-value service industries are, and where there is quality tertiary educational infrastructure. She says Auckland Council is looking forward and has plans for well beyond the three-year lifetime of the Housing Accord.

The priority cannot continue to be simply on how to provide more housing. It must be on how we encourage people to create and support vibrant economies and communities in the many areas of New Zealand with good land supply.

If we can do this, migrants will look beyond a handful of metropolitan areas, and skilled Kiwis will have confidence to move from areas of housing pressure to other regional centres to buy homes, raise families and enjoy productive careers. With a concerted, joined-up approach from local and central government and the building industry this can be achieved.

Lawrence Yule is the president of Local Government New Zealand.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Business

Premium
Media Insider

Ex-TV host Matt Chisholm's bold new career; 'Hugely unpopular' - battle royale brews inside Stuff

04 Jul 10:13 AM
Premium
Media Insider

Stop the presses: Stuff closing about 15 Auckland, regional community newspapers

04 Jul 10:13 AM
Premium
Shares

Market close: Tourism Holdings drops as NZ sharemarket ends week on high

04 Jul 06:17 AM

Audi offers a sporty spin on city driving with the A3 Sportback and S3 Sportback

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Business

Premium
Ex-TV host Matt Chisholm's bold new career; 'Hugely unpopular' - battle royale brews inside Stuff

Ex-TV host Matt Chisholm's bold new career; 'Hugely unpopular' - battle royale brews inside Stuff

04 Jul 10:13 AM

Well-known Kiwi's court move over story; Which political leader is best/worst with media?

Premium
Stop the presses: Stuff closing about 15 Auckland, regional community newspapers

Stop the presses: Stuff closing about 15 Auckland, regional community newspapers

04 Jul 10:13 AM
Premium
Market close: Tourism Holdings drops as NZ sharemarket ends week on high

Market close: Tourism Holdings drops as NZ sharemarket ends week on high

04 Jul 06:17 AM
Premium
Surge in new vehicle sales: Industry insiders explain three factors behind spike

Surge in new vehicle sales: Industry insiders explain three factors behind spike

04 Jul 05:00 AM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP