Census reveals the young and the homeless

Figures from this year's Census are expected to show New Zealand's home ownership rates are lower than those of Australia, the United States, Britain and Canada, Housing Minister Chris Carter told the Real Estate Institute's conference in Auckland this week.

"Growing numbers of 25 to 44-year-olds on moderate incomes are unable to buy a house," he said.

The discrepancy between the wealth of homeowners and non-homeowners had become much wider in the past five years.

Mr Carter said the young tended not to own homes, the older did, sometimes several. "My generation has got that much richer than our kids and it has got far harder for our kids to get on the property ladder we have benefited from so spectacularly."