The average asking price nationally of homes has increased by $296,000 since 2015; compared to the $132,000 increase of apartments.
Kiwis still see apartments as a comparable investment, despite long-term data showing stronger capital gains for homes.
Price gap between homes and apartments expected to keep growing.
Analysis by realestate.co.nz shows a widening gap between New Zealand homes and apartment prices.
A comparison of home prices and apartment prices between June 2015 and June 2025 showed the national average asking price of a home had increased from $521,183 to $817,279 – a 56.8% increase of $296,096.
In the same period, the average apartment asking price increased by just 25.1%, from $524,926 in June 2015 to $656,719 in June 2025, a difference of $131,793, half that of a home.
Vanessa Williams, spokesperson for realestate.co.nz, said, over the past decade, New Zealand homes have delivered more than twice the capital growth of apartments, but it didn’t start out that way.
“In the first five years, homes and apartments were tracking neck and neck. However, the second half of the decade has seen the gap between these two property types widen considerably. The last 10 years have certainly been a game of two halves.”
“While apartments remain an attractive entry point for many buyers, this long-term data reinforces the increase in land value during the last five years.”
In a recent survey conducted by realestate.co.nz, the number of people who would consider buying an apartment versus a home was split evenly at 41%. When price wasn’t a factor, the preference for homes jumped significantly to 85% versus 15% for an apartment.
“It’s clear that Kiwis inherently view homes as more valuable,” says Williams. “When price is taken off the table, the overwhelming preference for homes reflects a desire for more space, land, and long-term lifestyle benefits – all of which continue to influence perceived value.”
Surprisingly, 55% of survey respondents still considered apartments to be a better or similar investment to that of a home, while 28% perceived apartments to be a worse investment.
“It’s interesting to see that many Kiwis still see apartments as a comparable investment, despite the long-term data showing stronger capital gains for homes.”
As many New Zealanders contend with condensation, drafts, and mould this winter, a recent study challenges assumptions about what makes a home ‘drier’. It urges green building rating tools to clarify how humidity and dampness are measured and understood.
University of Auckland senior property lecturer Dr Mike Rehm, researcher Dr Rochelle Ade, and Dr V. Vishnupriya (Massey University) examined winter humidity levels in a 40-unit Auckland apartment building for residents aged 65 and older.
The building is 7-Homestar certified under New Zealand’s green building rating system (v4), which promotes warmer, healthier, and drier homes, representing best practice for New Zealand housing.
The study found that relative humidity within the apartments often exceeded the recommended 40 – 60 percent range, which is commonly used to minimise condensation and mould risk.
However, the researchers stress that elevated relative humidity doesn’t necessarily mean the building is ‘damp’ or unhealthy. In fact, when the same apartments were assessed using absolute humidity – a measure of the total moisture in the air – they fell consistently within the epidemiologically acceptable range for health and comfort.
“Humidity and dampness are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same,” says Rehm. “A building can have high relative humidity without being damp. That nuance is often lost, including in how certification tools like Homestar communicate ‘drier’ living conditions.”
The findings raise questions about which humidity metrics best reflect health and comfort, particularly in New Zealand’s naturally ventilated housing and humid coastal climates.
Despite relative humidity being outside the ideal range, most residents in the study reported feeling comfortable in their homes. The researchers say this suggests relative humidity alone may not reliably reflect health risks or occupant satisfaction, especially for older people.
The authors argue that green rating systems could improve clarity and effectiveness by explicitly defining ‘drier’ and considering both relative and absolute humidity.
“In cities like Auckland, where outdoor air is often humid, natural ventilation may not reduce relative humidity. But that doesn’t automatically mean a home is unhealthy or inefficient,” says Rehm. He proposes relative humidity be used as a primary performance metric, with absolute humidity included in some cases, to better reflect actual indoor conditions.
“Certification systems like Homestar already play an important role in improving New Zealand’s housing stock. Clarifying how terms like ‘drier’ are defined and measured could enhance their effectiveness and help align performance goals with occupant wellbeing,” he says.
The paper, What is Drier? Understanding Humidity in Green-Certified Dwellings, is published in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand and is part of a growing body of work calling for more precise, performance-based humidity guidelines in building standards.
People keen to stand for one of nine places on the Northland Regional Council at this year’s local body elections in October are being urged to get their nominations in as soon as possible.
Dale Ofsoske, the council’s Electoral Officer, says nominations opened on Friday 04 July and officially close at noon this Friday, 01 August.
However, Mr Ofsoske warns against leaving the lodgement of nomination papers to the last minute.
“Should a nomination paper be lodged on the morning nominations close, and be incorrectly completed or ineligible nominators are provided, there may be insufficient time to correct the situation and the nomination paper could be invalidated.”
Mr Ofsoske says anyone aged 18 and over can stand for election provided they’re a New Zealand citizen and enrolled on the Parliamentary electoral roll.
“You must also be nominated by two electors whose names appear on the electoral roll within the respective constituency that a candidate is standing for.”
Mr Ofsoske says in the regional council’s case seven councillors will be elected from seven general constituencies (one from each) and two councillors elected from a region-wide Māori constituency (Te Raki).
The general constituencies are Far North, Coastal Central, Coastal South, Kaipara, Mid North, Whangārei Central and Bay of Islands-Whangaroa.
Mr Ofsoske says candidates can complete their nominations using the online nominations portal atesp.electionservices.co.nz/lge2025/NRC. Alternatively printed nomination forms and a candidate handbook are available from any regional council office, by phoning (0800) 002 004, or by downloading fromwww.nrc.govt.nz/elections
Source: New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has said the union movement is appalled by the Government’s proposed electoral law changes, which include the removal of same-day enrolments.
“As the largest democratic organisation in Aotearoa New Zealand, the NZCTU is unequivocally opposed to electoral law changes that are designed to prevent people from participating in the democratic process,” said Wagstaff.
“The Prime Minister is ignoring his own Attorney-General who advised the changes are in breach of the Bill of Rights Act and may disenfranchise up to 100,000 people. She noted that young people, Māori, Asian and Pasifika communities, are likely to be worst affected.
“Luxon and his government are engaging in outright voter suppression as they probably think it will benefit their electoral prospects to prevent large sections of the public from voting in the first place, especially as the groups most affected are disproportionately negatively impacted by the Government’s policies.
“The system should be designed to make it as easy as possible for people to vote. Setting up barriers to political participation is a fundamental breach of human rights and has no place in our democracy,” said Wagstaff.
INCREASE IN BUS FARES ACROSS TE TAITOKERAU FROM 01 AUGUST
Bus fares will increase across Te Taitokerau from Friday (01 August). CityLink and SchoolLink services in Whangārei will increase by $1 per journey. BusLink fares on routes around the region will increase by 0.50c per journey.
Infants up to four years of age continue to travel free of charge and concessions for Community Service Card and Gold Card holders still apply. These concessions will also be available on the Bream Bay Link and Hikurangi Link for the first time from 01 August.
The increase is due to central government requiring regional councils to find increased funding to cover bus costs. Similar increases are happening across the country.
For more informationbuslink.co.nzor follow CityLink Whangārei on Facebook for all the latest updates.
Covering period of Monday 28 – Thursday 31 July – Severe Weather Warnings and Watches issued for heavy rain and strong winds – Potential upgrade to Red Heavy Rain Warning for southeast Tasman – Large northeast swells expected for the east coast of the upper North Island.
MetService has issued Severe Weather Warnings and Watches for heavy rain and strong wind, as a frontal system is set to move slowly over the motu tomorrow (Tuesday). Large northeast swells are also expected for the east coast of the upper North Island.
While the front arrives early on Tuesday and departs to our east Wednesday afternoon, it packs a punch while it crosses the country. Blustery northeasterly winds, widespread heavy rain and even the potential for downpours are all on the cards.
Orange Heavy Rain Warnings have been issued over the North Island for Coromandel Peninsula, the Bay of Plenty, Taranaki Maunga, and the Central North Island mountains. For the South Island, Orange Heavy Rain Warnings are in force for Tasman, Nelson, western Marlborough, the ranges of Westland, and the headwaters of the Otago lakes and rivers, and of the Canterbury lakes and rivers south of Arthurs Pass. Much of the central and upper North Island is covered by Watches for heavy rain and strong wind.
MetService meteorologist Alwyn Bakker advises to pay extra attention to “Tasman east and south of Motueka, excluding Nelson City District, where there is a high chance the Orange Warning will be upgraded to a Red Warning. Aside from Motueka township, this is the same region that was covered by a Red Warning back on 11 July.” There is also a moderate risk for inland parts of the Bay of Plenty to be upgraded to a Red Warning.
Swells of 3 to 4.5 metres are forecast on Tuesday for parts of the coast between the Bay of Islands and Whakatane.
“Northeast swell is expected to peak at 4 metres in the Bay of Islands on Tuesday morning, and at 4-4.5 metres at Great Mercury Island in the evening. Northerly swell is expected to peak at 4-4.5 metres at Whakatane around midnight,” states Bakker.
Along with the wind and rain, overnight temperatures are expected to rise. Much of the North Island will stay above 10°C on Tuesday night. Whakatane will be particularly notable, with its overnight minimum of 13°C only two degrees cooler than its recorded maximum temperature on Sunday.
Towards the end of the working week, a deep low to the east of Aotearoa New Zealand is forecast to direct a strong southerly flow onto the eastern North Island, while a second low is expected to move east past the far north.
“At this stage, the risk of Severe Weather from Thursday onwards is minimal, but MetService advises that people keep an eye on the forecast,” Bakker notes.
Young Wellingtonian Sean Hoffman is forging his own path in civil engineering, inspired by the journey of his mother, Michelle-herself a graduate of the New Zealand Diploma of Engineering (Civil) at Whitireia and WelTec. Their story is a testament to the power of family influence, hands-on learning, and the exceptional support provided by the Whitireia and WelTec teaching staff.
Michelle and Sean share more than a surname; both found their passion outside the classroom, preferring hands-on activities over textbooks from an early age. Their natural inclination for building and creating led them to careers in engineering.
Michelle’s journey began after she left school at year 12, completed a Diploma in Business, and spent several years as a stay-at-home mum before stepping into the world of civil engineering through an administrative role.
“Once the kids went to school and I had a bit of extra time, I decided to go back to work and got a receptionist role,” Michelle recalls. “I didn’t know much about the company or the industry initially, but I gradually progressed through different roles from reception to contract administrator and was learning more and more. It was at that point that I decided to upskill and found the New Zealand Diploma of Engineering (Civil) at Whitireia and WelTec.”
Balancing full-time work and part-time study, Michelle is now a qualified project manager. “I’m now working as a project manager and am really loving the variety. It means that I can be in the office or out on the site depending on what work needs to be done. It’s the best of both worlds,” Michelle says.
Sean, inspired by his mother’s determination and success, is now in his first year of the same diploma. Having worked with civil contracting companies since he was young, Sean initially resisted the idea of following in his mother’s footsteps, even spending a year at university in Otago. But the pull of Civil Engineering-and Michelle’s gentle encouragement-proved too strong to ignore.
“Mum says she always saw that I had the right kind of brain for Civil Engineering but I kind of pushed against the idea of going into the industry and decided to get out of Wellington and went to University in Otago for a year. I guess Mum was right though, and after that year I came back and decided to study Civil Engineering at Whitireia and WelTec and I am really enjoying it,” Sean admits. “The close-knit learning environments and supportive teaching staff have made a huge difference for my learning.”
He’s now thriving at Whitireia and WelTec, relishing the opportunity to apply classroom learning to real-world projects during his weekend job. “I have been working for different civil engineering firms on week
A bold new initiative is set to help transform the future of primary care in New Zealand. Today marks the official launch of Health Accelerator, an innovation hub dedicated to developing and deploying digital solutions that empower primary care and improve patient care.
Health Accelerator is a collaborative joint venture between four of New Zealand’s largest primary care organisations — Pegasus, Pinnacle, ProCare, and Tū Ora Compass Health — collectively representing more than 500 general practices and serving over 2 million patients across the country.
Bindi Norwell, Co-Chair at Health Accelerator says: “Our purpose is a simple but powerful one. We want to help drive innovation in primary care to improve clinical workflows, enhance patient experiences, and reduce the administrative burden on healthcare teams — so doctors, nurses, and practice staff can focus on what they do best: caring for their patients.
“This is about game changing innovation, increasing productivity and expanding innovation for primary care, particularly through leveraging AI and digital solutions,” says Norwell.
“New Zealand's health tech sector is valued at $3.7 billion and experiencing an annual growth rate of 8%. Health Accelerator is designed to speed up healthcare innovation by pooling resources, insights, and expertise. Essentially, it’s about creating a smarter, and faster path to innovation,” continues Norwell.
Justine Thorpe, fellow Co-Chair at Health Accelerator adds: “We know there are innovative digital solutions that can help address many of the challenges our network of practices face. Through Health Accelerator, we’re partnering closely with practices, start-ups, researchers, and government agencies to identify real-world problems and co-design scalable solutions that can benefit the entire sector.
“The first innovation we rolled out across the country was robots, which are aimed at supporting cardiovascular disease risk assessments (CVDRA), ensuring all ACC funding is claimed by practices where applicable, and two inbox management assistants. These tools are already making a difference by reducing the time clinicians spend on administrative tasks. We have developed about 10 robots to date and plan to develop more.” continues Thorpe.
“We are now looking at what other opportunities it will be able to announce soon, with AI scribes likely to be high on the list,” concludes Thorpe.
Health Accelerator is also encouraging healthcare practices facing challenges that could be addressed through a digital innovation to reach out, so solutions can be co-designed with users of the solutions in mind. Equally, the company is actively seeking partnerships with healthcare providers, innovators, and organisations who share its vision for a more connected, patient-focused future.
About Pinnacle Incorporated Pinnacle Incorporated is a not-for-profit primary care network supporting over 85 general practices across the Te Manawa Taki region, including Waikato, Taranaki, Rotorua, Taupō-Tūrangi, Thames-Coromandel, and Tairāwhiti. Serving nearly half a million enrolled patients, Pinnacle is committed to delivering high-quality, equitable, and innovative primary healthcare. Through its operational arm, Pinnacle Midlands Health Network (MHN), the organisation provides funding, clinical support, and digital solutions to help general practices thrive and improve health outcomes for their communities.
About Pegasus Health Pegasus Health is a charitable organisation dedicated to improving health outcomes for the people of Waitaha Canterbury. We achieve this through innovative service design and delivery, collaboration with partners, and a commitment to continuous improvement. We lead and collaborate across the primary health care sector with a special focus on Te Waipounamu. We are dedicated to ensuring that all people have access to the primary health care they need, when they need it, closing the health equity gap. Pegasus is committed to overtly, purposefully, and strategically threading equity and Te Tiriti o Waitangi through all we do and how we operate.
About ProCare ProCare is a leading healthcare provider that aims to deliver the most progressive, pro-active and equitable health and wellbeing services in Aotearoa. We do this through our clinical support services, mental health and wellness services, virtual/tele health, mobile health, smoking cessation and by taking a population health and equity approach to our mahi. As New Zealand’s largest Primary Health Organisation, we represent a network of general practice teams and healthcare professionals who provide care to nearly 700,000 patients across Auckland. These practices serve the largest Pacific and South Asian populations enrolled in general practice and the largest Māori population in Tāmaki Makaurau. For more information go towww.procare.co.nz
About Tū Ora Compass Health Tū Ora Compass Health Primary Health Organisation is a not-for-profit enterprise supporting an enrolled population of over 347,000 patients, through a network of 58 General Practice across Wellington, Porirua, Kāpiti, Hutt Valley and Wairarapa. We also support with a range of clinical services, health promotion and population health initiatives funded through various contracts throughout the region.
