The New Zealand building industry is getting off to a solid start, with new buildings starting to pop up across the country.
But in Auckland, the pace of construction is going faster than expected, as developers rush to build homes for people on the verge of retirement.
“I think people are still feeling the pinch of the housing shortage and the housing affordability issues,” said Auckland-based architect John McKeown, whose firm has been involved in the construction of more than 100 new homes.
“We’re seeing people buying homes in Auckland for about $300,000 a home.
And then when they’re looking at what they’ll need in the next five years, it’s a whole different ballgame.”
Auckland is a very expensive city for a number of reasons.
There’s a lot of public transport congestion, there’s a lack of affordable housing, there are high levels of crime, and it’s been quite an emotional time.”
The New Zealand Building Industry Association (NZBIA) says its members have been building new homes for the last four years.
The industry, which has been fighting to find affordable housing for decades, is the third largest in the world behind the US and Germany.
The NZBIA’s chairman, David Mowat, said the industry’s growth was due in part to the influx of new workers from overseas.”
Mr McKeough said there was a huge amount of new investment coming in the Auckland market and he was encouraged by the construction pace.””
They have been able to make a career change in Auckland and are creating new jobs in the industry, so we’re seeing a lot more people getting involved.”
Mr McKeough said there was a huge amount of new investment coming in the Auckland market and he was encouraged by the construction pace.
“There’s a number and a half new construction sites being built every week in Auckland.
There are some areas that are really, really good and we are seeing a great number of people making good money and enjoying themselves.” “
The people that are working here are really passionate about their job and they are getting really involved in what they’re doing.”
“There are some areas that are really, really good and we are seeing a great number of people making good money and enjoying themselves.”
But the real challenge for the industry will come once the construction boom has passed its peak.
“We are seeing that in Auckland that the industry has become overstretched,” Mr McKeighow said.
“The industry is going through a period where we are starting to see some of the issues that are impacting the industry become more apparent, and the Auckland building industry will need to get into more of a position where it can be more resilient.” More: