Quote Originally Posted by artemis View Post
The public sector - central and local - could help by stepping back from onerous and expensive interventions. Like - rural / urban boundaries, ever increasing costs and compliance on rental owners, inconsistent and sometimes loopy rules both within and across local authorities and MBIE.

A while back Rodney Hide suggested a trial scheme within a tightly bounded area where people could build what they wanted and needed at their own risk. I doubt whether he expected it to actually happen but it could work.

And about affordable - half of all NZ sales in January were below $615,000. Some well below. All very well to say median (or average) price is unaffordable for those on median household income but nobody has a gun to their head to stop them buying below median.

And FHBs seem to be doing OK - Reserve Bank residential bank lending to FHBs is more than twice what it was 2 years ago.
How the goal posts have changed over the years in getting those necessary deposits! Now being able to afford a first deposit in your 30's is seen as doing well. It used to be in your early 20's.