The City of Manchester has a long-term plan for housing affordability, but it’s not one that’s easy to get to.
The city of just over 10,000 people is grappling with a housing affordability crisis that’s led to more than 1,000 new homes being built in the last year.
There’s a long road ahead, but the City of New Zealand has taken a different approach, starting with a bold plan to build 1,400 new homes by 2025.
That plan has now been approved by the government.
But, the plan is facing criticism from local councillors who say it doesn’t go far enough.
New Zealand’s Minister of Housing and Communities, Paula Bennett, says the plan has been successful, but has not been implemented.
“I think we’re very pleased with the outcome of our planning work,” she said.
Ms Bennett said the city’s goal of building 1,100 new homes over the next three years was a step in the right direction.
“The number of houses built is going to continue to grow, but we’re working very hard to ensure that we don’t have a housing crisis at the end of the three years,” she told ABC News Breakfast.
What the cash is doing for the local economy, says Auckland Council Mayor Andy BurnhamIt’s not the first time Auckland has tackled the housing crisis, but Auckland Council has been a leading voice in the debate.
In May, the council’s housing minister, Andy Burnish, said the council was moving towards a “zero-build” strategy, which meant new homes would be built only in new-build projects.
Mr Burnish also said the government was looking to reduce the number of homes that are built in Auckland each year.
“We want to build less, we want to give people more options,” he said.
“What we’re going to do is actually reduce the size of the building sites and we’re looking at ways of building less.”
Newly-elected Mayor Andy Burns has also been pushing for Auckland to build more homes.
He said the plan would “transform the lives of many Aucklanders”.
“If we can achieve this in a way that’s both socially responsible and environmentally sustainable, we can also make the city a more attractive place for young people to live and work,” he told the ABC.
“There are a number of projects that we are undertaking now, that are quite promising.”
I know that some of those are not ready yet, but I’m confident that we can get them off the ground.
“It’s going to be a long process, but what we’re doing is working on a plan that will ensure that the city we know today and that we know tomorrow will be one that we’re proud of.”
City council leaders have said that, while the council is working to increase the number and size of homes built in each year, the mayor’s vision for Auckland is ambitious.
“As a result, we are working towards achieving a zero-build strategy by the end to 2020,” Mr Burns said.
“This means that, as a result of the council-led plans, all new housing will be built in new build homes.”
The City of Newcastle is currently planning to build about 1,200 new homes each year between 2018 and 2020, but will not complete that plan until 2021.
It is also planning to move away from new-built housing to new-construction homes, but that plan is currently not expected to be completed until 2019.
How to save money on your house mortgage repayments and get more affordable homesNew Zealand has the lowest mortgage interest rates in the world, but many homeowners are still struggling to make the most of their mortgage repayings.
A recent study by the Centre for Budget and Policy Priorities showed that Auckland has the third lowest mortgage rates in New Zealand, behind Sydney and Perth.
Its mortgage rate is lower than that of the UK and the US.
Mortgage interest is currently the main reason for homeowners to take out a house loan, but mortgage interest is now a relatively small part of the total cost of renting.
You can save up to 40 per cent on your mortgage by getting a loan from a private lender.
The interest rate depends on the size and value of the loan.
If you’re looking to get into the property market and are in Auckland, you can use our home loan calculator.
For more information on mortgage interest, visit the National Housing Guarantee Agency website.
We’ve also created an online mortgage calculator to help you get the most out of your home loan.