Caution needed on value capture
As tempting it may appear to tap into land value uplifts, we need to be cautious. The model can work – but we need to apply it only in the cases where it can work. [...]
Housing
Challenges stack up for super minister
There is no more challenging task than making New Zealand’s cities thrive in the global era of urbanisation. Quite appropriately, we now have a superminister to deal with it. [...]
The power of ideas
"The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else.” [...]
A big step towards affordable housing
The Government's new infrastructure programme is a huge step towards housing affordability. But much more needs to be done. [...]
The wrong type of home ownership
We should not regard the homeownership rate as the most important measure of a functioning housing market. Just because the ownership rate is falling does not tell us much on its own. Neither is a high ownership rate necessarily a positive. [...]
A wake-up call for global housing policy
Each year, the global affordability problem is getting worse. This year was no exception. Demographia’s 2017 report is the most depressing read so far. [...]
Germany may hold the key to solving New Zealand’s housing woes
The reason why Germany got more built is because there was greater political will to do so. And there are better incentives for towns and cities to deliver the housing that their citizens need. [...]
An incentives approach for the new PM
A legacy of housing affordability would be a historic achievement and it would transform the lives of millions of New Zealanders. Good luck, Mr Prime Minister. [...]
New housing strategy needed
Unaffordable housing does not have to be the price we have to pay for living in a globally connected city. And telling people on average incomes to just put up with it is the modern equivalent of Marie Antoinette's 'Let them eat cake'. [...]
Housing New Zealand’s migrants
New Zealand's dysfunctional housing market should not dictate migration policy. [...]