Who'd want to be a landlord now ?

[Bjauck]

Being renter myself, I can tell you the insulation requirements are just a big joke. Only floor and ceiling has to be insulated and that only in case it's actually accessible to be insulated. In my situation the insulation is a 3cm styrofoam with about 0.5cm gaps in between the tiles. You can imagine this kind of insulation does exactly nothing to keep the house warm. This was approved as okay by 2 different insulation companies...

Coming from Europe I can tell you all the houses have floor/roof/walls full on insulation with probably 10cm+ rockwool airtight insulation. NZ houses are generally garbage quality and this is one of the reasons I decided not to invest into property. Other reasons are the quality of renters is pretty poor, Auckland properties are overpriced and government obviously guns for property investors.

Traditionally the Goal for Kiwis is to own property as it is the best way to invest your money and get a secure abode for your family.

In the 1990's I was in Ireland for a while and the fairly average terrace I lived in was so much warmer and drier in the Colder and damp Winter than the (reasonably upmarket and supposedly-insulated mid-1970's) house my parents owned was in Auckland's milder and damp Winter.

Maybe the original insulation standards were developed back in the day when UK houses were actually damper and colder and NZ's milder climate made the houses seem warmer in comparison. I wonder if the North Island had a colder climate whether the NZ insulation requirements would be more exacting. Maybe if Aucklanders had to shiver for longer in Winter, standards would be tougher?