housing

Will the real David Shearer please stand up?

Written By: karol - Date published: 7:30 am, December 28th, 2012 - 104 comments

Many want Shearer to break with neoliberalism, clearly state his politics and a new political direction.   He became leader with a compelling, but worryingly selective, back-story.  Party members want democratic participation. What of consensus-building, coercion, public services, social security, TPP, PPPs, state assets, sustainability?

What’s new? Shearer retrospective.

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:35 am, December 17th, 2012 - 124 comments

David Shearer was on TV 3 this morning, reflecting on his last year. He claimed that he and Labour are doing well under new and settled leadership, taking a new direction.  How accurate are his claims?

Postcard from a 21st century renter

Written By: karol - Date published: 1:19 pm, December 3rd, 2012 - 16 comments

Dear Jack, It’s been almost a century since your major contribution to NZ . Many still see you as an inspiration for a left wing vision. Unfortunately, we are having to fight the same old battles once again, the poor are being demonised, and we need more state housing.

A new house every 13 minutes

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:58 am, November 27th, 2012 - 82 comments

KiwiBuild has the Nats rattled. It’s difficult to oppose a program that creates both affordable housing and jobs, but they’re doing their best.  One of their lines is that NZ can’t build houses that quickly.  They’re wrong – here’s why.

Medium density housing is now the Auckland way

Written By: lprent - Date published: 9:19 am, November 27th, 2012 - 35 comments

It was clear that someone wasn’t doing their job in briefing. Sure a section of land sufficient to build a traditional 3 bedroom house in Auckland is bloody expensive and would cost as much as Labour’s budgeted amounts in KiwiBuild. That is obvious. So don’t build those types of property. Build something that requires less land. A brief lookup on my single bedroom studio Grey Lynn/Newton apartment shows a land value of $85k. A 3 bedroom townhouse down the road has a land value of $170k

KiwiBuild roundup

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:41 am, November 22nd, 2012 - 144 comments

Media reaction to KiwiBuild has been largely positive, the policy is described as “bold”, “brave”, and (just as important!) – “do able”. I’m sticking with my first reaction, this is a historic policy.

KiwiBuild vs. what?

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:04 am, November 21st, 2012 - 50 comments

KiwiBuild is an excellent policy that would make a real difference to housing, jobs, and the economy in NZ. John Key’s critique had all the credibility you’d expect from the man whose major economic policy was a cycleway.

KiwiBuild

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 1:13 pm, November 18th, 2012 - 216 comments

100,000 new entry level homes. The biggest public building programme in over fifty years. Hope for young families and households. A massive boost to jobs and the economy.

This is a historic policy.

Auckland housing market bubbling

Written By: lprent - Date published: 2:40 pm, November 15th, 2012 - 34 comments

Like many other well-paid people in their 30’s.  Lyn is getting depressed watching a toehold Auckland property disappear out of her grasp. Of course the well rounded gits in Wellington will get ‘worried’ about this and want to make property available 50kms away. But spending an hour or two of your life driving each day is hardly useful to anyone apart from the land bankers, property developers and used car sales who seem to be of such importance to the National party.

Hard times & demographics

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:57 am, November 9th, 2012 - 14 comments

With the crises in housing and unemployment, there are worrying trends of increasing marginalisation and struggle for selected demographic groups, such as women, Maori and Pasifika people. Meanwhile, there has been a recent increase in male unemployment.  This probably is because there are fewer secure, well-paid, full time jobs available.

Housing NZ to build to sell

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 12:30 pm, October 31st, 2012 - 22 comments

Housing New Zealand is going to build some affordable houses in Christchurch and then sell them. It’s not a bad idea. In fact, if it were done right and en masse, it should have been a centrepiece of National’s empty ‘affordable housing’ announcment. But I fear it won’t be done right. It’s not enough just to build affordable homes: you need to make sure landlords don’t snap them up.

Sprawl does not equal affordability

Written By: James Henderson - Date published: 9:39 am, October 29th, 2012 - 85 comments

Listening to the Nats on housing affordability, it’s pretty clear that their only plan is to allow more sprawl. So, let’s say this clearly: sprawl is expensive, not cheap, and it is not lack of housing but over-investment in house price speculation that leads to high prices. National’s ‘solution’ is for the country to needlessly spend tens of billions.

“Privacy assured!” Politics, the police & surveillance

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:45 am, October 16th, 2012 - 27 comments

Public trust in the police is at a new low. But what of the trust in our government?  How much collusion is there between the police, government, spy agencies and foreign governments? However, citizens are also using the technologies of the surveillance society to hold the government and state authorities to account.

Affordable Housing: the way forward?

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:40 am, October 7th, 2012 - 29 comments

There is increasing concern about New Zealand’s housing situation, with an escalation in homelesssness, people living in totally unacceptable conditions,  and the lack of sufficient affordable housing stock.Update: Government close to unveiling plans for “cheap” housing on city fringe and ‘brownfield’ sites.