The Hidden Costs Crushing Auckland’s Housing Dreams: 18 October 2024

🏠 The Hidden Costs Crushing Auckland’s Housing Dreams

As a key administrator of Subdivision NZ, now 15,000+ members strong, I’ve witnessed first-hand how infrastructure costs are silently suffocating housing affordability in Auckland (permission to post has been given by the contributor).

A price from Vector for ONE house of either $55,000 or $90,000. Yes FOR ONE relocated home!

Here’s a stark reality check:

A single pole replacement for a relocated house in Papakura is forcing a homeowner to choose between: ➡️ Paying for essential Vector infrastructure upgrades OR ➡️ Installing proper wall insulation

Let that sink in. Basic infrastructure costs are forcing Kiwis to compromise on home quality and energy efficiency.

While we’ve made progress with Vector this year, resolving several developer challenges through extensive advocacy, the fundamental issue remains: infrastructure costs are out of control.

🤔 The pressing questions we need to address:

Why are basic infrastructure modifications so expensive?

Who really benefits from these inflated costs?

How can we make housing more affordable without compromising quality?

This isn’t just about poles and wires – it’s about the future of housing accessibility in New Zealand.

We are broken, very broken.

About the author
Kirsty Merriman
For years I would plan houses, travel widely and observe communities. I also had the privilege of working for New Zealand's largest dairy company in both New Zealand and Malaysia. All the while supported by my husband and young daughter. After a while, our roles swapped and we moved to the Arabian Gulf. Meanwhile my passion for property and communities continued to simmer.

Along came COVID and had no choice but to pivot... in the words of Robert Frost, I looked for and "found the road less travelled by" and decided that maybe I could "make [a] the difference".

I look for to find insights and built a few of the houses that we need. This means a saleable house and a profitable and sustainable business.

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