Land, ownership and homes: The Good Citizen
Here’s some good news about innovative (!) ways people are addressing our housing crisis
The Good Citizen is an occasional podcast series with a common focus on how to create successful urban communities with good architecture, urban design and smart thinking. Auckland-ish, but with great insights for everywhere. Hosted by Jeremy Hansen (of Paperboy fame – RIP Paperboy, wish we’d had you in Wellington!)
We’ve been enjoying an episode with Anahera Rawiri of Ngāti Whatua o Orakei. What’s the gist?
New Zealand’s housing crisis is a systemic failure on so many fronts: a rapidly growing population, insane house prices, a drastic shortage of quality homes, a volatile renting market, tight lending restrictions, no capital gains tax and so much more.
All of it is interdependent and complicated, which is partly why, at a national level, it’s been put in the too-hard basket for too long.
But in Auckland, one hapū has been tackling these obstacles – financial, structural, psychological – in innovative ways with remarkable results.
The latest development, Kāinga Tuatahi (the First Place) features 5% deposits for mortgages, Tesla Powerwalls… and legal arrangements reflecting that land belongs to everyone. Phwoar.
Check out the rest of The Good Citizen here
A neat article from Architecture Now on Kāinga Tuatahi has pictures!
Image credit
Banner image: Pallisade fence for Ngāti Whatua o Orakei by Fiona Jack
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