- Sellers are getting, on average, more than their final asking price for properties listed on realestate.co.nz
- 8 out of 19 regions recorded higher average selling price than asking price
- Wellington homeowners getting on average $17,000 more for homes than they were expecting.
The analysis, which compared the asking and selling prices of more than 53,000 residential homes listed and sold on realestate.co.nz between 1 January 2024 and 31 May 2025, showed that by the time a home sold, people were getting more than their final asking price.
During this period, New Zealand homeowners asked for an average of $894,915 for their properties but achieved an average selling price of $898,845, putting an extra $3,930 in their pockets.
The two price types were compared in the month that the property was officially sold, using sales data provided by the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ).
Vanessa Williams, spokesperson for realestate.co.nz, says sellers are meeting the market and exceeding their own expectations.
“The last 18 months have been tough for sellers, but we are seeing that by the time their home sells, vendors are getting realistic with their price expectations. This seems to be having a surprisingly positive outcome, as they are ending up with slightly more than they bargained for.”
Whether vendors were up or down with their pricing expectations varied greatly around the country. Eight of realestate.co.nz’s 19 regions recorded a higher average selling price than asking price, while the remaining 11 asked, on average, for more than the average selling price.
Wellington sellers take the win
Sellers in Wellington had the biggest positive variance between asking and selling prices, with vendors getting, on average, $17,185 more for their homes than what they asked for.
The average asking price over this period in the region was $901,484, while the average selling price was $918,668.
Canterbury followed suit with an average asking price of $745,995, and a selling price of $759,715 – an average of $13,721 more in the hand for vendors.
Gisborne also recorded a bigger-than-average gain between asking and selling, from $692,420 to $704,256, an average upside of $11,835.
Coromandel buyers not budging
Meanwhile, Coromandel stood out as the region where vendors received notably less than their expectations, with an average asking price of $1,116,914 compared to an average selling price of $1,071,241 – a gap of $45,673.”
Other regions with the greatest disparity between asking and selling prices were Northland (-$14,117) and Waikato (-$8,399).
“While we always want to see a deal taking place, the property market only functions when buyers and sellers are prepared to negotiate and make sacrifices,” says Williams.
“With more properties on the market and prices holding steady, successful transactions often come down to pricing that both parties can agree upon and open negotiation.”
About realestate.co.nz
We’ve been helping people buy, sell, or rent property since 1996.
Established before Google, realestate.co.nz is New Zealand’s longest-standing property website and the official website of the real estate industry.
Dedicated only to property, our mission is to empower people with a property search tool they can use to find the life they want to live. With residential, lifestyle, rural and commercial property listings, realestate.co.nz is the place to start for those looking to buy or sell property.
Whatever life you’re searching for, it all starts here.
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Market insights: Search by suburb to see median sale prices, popular property types and tr
Employment – Workers to deliver 80,000 strong pay equity petition – CTU
Source: NZCTU
What: Pay equity petition handover
Where: Forecourt, Parliament, Wellington
When: 1pm, Wednesday 23 July
Women representing the more than 300,000 workers in female-dominated industries affected by the Government’s gutting of New Zealand’s pay equity system will deliver a 80,000 strong petition to opposition MPs at Parliament this Wednesday.
Workers will make the case to MPs that the changes have impacted on not just them but also on the essential work they do to support education, health, families and communities.
“The gutting of pay equity claims have reversed decades of progress to correct pay rates for women, but we are heartened that tens of thousands of New Zealanders are supporting us,” said secondary school teacher and PPTA delegate Clare Preston.
“This was a huge slap in the face for women and has a massive impact on the families and communities we care for, but we will continue to rise up,” said care and support worker and E tū delegate Jo-Chanelle Pouwhare.
“The Government has made it virtually impossible for people in female-dominated industries to be paid fairly, but this petition shows that women will not be deterred in our fight to achieve pay equity for all,” said PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons.
Child Poverty – Families below the Income Floor face growing crisis – new research
Source: Child Poverty Action Group
Advocacy – Gaza is Starving: A Last-Minute Call for Action – PSNA
The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) issues this urgent and desperate call: Gaza is starving, and we must act now.
Hospitals and emergency clinics in Gaza are overwhelmed. Unprecedented numbers of Palestinians — children, women, and the elderly — are collapsing from hunger and exhaustion. Medical professionals warn that hundreds face imminent death, their bodies unable to survive the severe famine conditions created by Israel’s ongoing siege and deliberate starvation tactics.
This is not a natural disaster. This is the result of a man-made blockade, a deliberate policy of collective punishment — and it constitutes a grave violation of international law.
This is a last-minute call.
PSNA calls on:
- The New Zealand Government to immediately condemn Israel’s weaponisation of starvation and demand an end to the siege, a permanent ceasefire, and unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza.
- All political parties and elected officials to break their silence and act with urgency to prevent further loss of life.
- The people of Aotearoa to stand up and speak out. Protest. Write. Donate. Mobilise.
- The media to stop turning away, to report on the famine and the mass suffering of civilians in Gaza with the urgency and humanity it demands.
As New Zealanders, we have a proud tradition of standing against injustice and apartheid. Now is the time to uphold that legacy, not with words, but with action.
Gaza is starving. We cannot delay. We must not look away.
Maher Nazzal
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa
Advocacy – Gaza is Starving: A Last-Minute Call for Action
The Palestine Forum of New Zealand joins the international cry of alarm: Gaza is starving — and the world must respond with urgency and conscience.
In recent days, shocking scenes have emerged from Gaza’s hospitals: children too weak to cry, elderly people collapsing from exhaustion, entire families on the brink of death. Medical workers are reporting unprecedented levels of malnutrition and starvation across all age groups. Hundreds are now beyond the reach of aid unless immediate action is taken.
This is not a humanitarian crisis caused by natural disaster — this is a political crime, the result of Israel’s deliberate use of starvation as a weapon of war, in violation of international humanitarian law.
This is a last-minute call.
- The Government of Aotearoa New Zealand to speak out forcefully against Israel’s blockade and famine policies, and to use every diplomatic and legal avenue to demand an immediate end to the siege on Gaza.
- The New Zealand public to stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza — through protest, education, advocacy, and humanitarian support.
- The international community to act now to prevent mass death, and to hold those responsible accountable.
We also urge faith groups, cultural institutions, unions, student bodies, and tangata whenua to raise their voices and stand alongside our Palestinian whānau in this moment of unprecedented suffering.
What we are witnessing is not simply a tragedy — it is an atrocity. The starvation of Gaza is not a distant issue. It is a test of our shared humanity.
Let history not remember our silence. Let us remember our courage.
Maher Nazzal
Palestine Forum of New Zealand
Export Awards – Trimax Mowing Systems wins Exporter of the Year at ExportNZ ASB Bay of Plenty Export Awards
Source: EMA
Banking and Legal Issues – ASB declines settlement proposal, class action case to continue
ASB has declined a proposal by plaintiffs to settle the current class action case against the bank.
The proposal was announced to media the day before the Select Committee hearings on the CCCFA Amendment Bill. In ASB’s view this is an obvious attempt to influence and distract from this process by attempting to reassure Government about the potential risk to New Zealand banks under this piece of law.
ASB does not understand the basis for the figures presented in the proposal or consider that they operate as an effective cap on the size of the plaintiffs' claim in the proceeding, including as the proposal is said to expire on 8 August 2025.
The settlement offer received provides no certainty to ASB or other banks which may become subject to similar class actions, or to the sector as a whole.
Politics – Seymour’s attack on UN official ‘offensive and irresponsible’ – PSA
Source: PSA
Defence News – HMNZS Canterbury delivers leading-edge technology to support regional security tasks in Fiji
The Royal New Zealand Navy’s (RNZN) multi-role vessel HMNZS Canterbury has sailed into Suva for annual Operation Calypso, this time with a technologically advanced capability aboard.
Op Calypso focuses on supporting Pacific partners through a range of joint maritime security activities and HMNZS Canterbury carried into the Fijian port advanced capability in the form of Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USV) – the Bluebottles Tahi and Rua.
The autonomous vessels can conduct long-endurance operations without requiring refuelling or crew. Propelled and powered by sun, wind and wave action, the Bluebottles are ideal platforms for fishery protection, border patrols, surveillance, and the collection of oceanic and meteorological data.
The RNZN will work with Republic of Fiji Navy personnel deploying and monitoring the Bluebottles to help identify and track vessels operating suspiciously in Fiji’s exclusive economic zone – including those potentially involved in narcotics trafficking.
A Royal New Zealand Air Force No. 42 Squadron King Air aircraft will provide identification and surveillance oversight while a Fijian Navy vessel will be available to carry out boarding and seizure tasks.
Commodore Shane Arndell, the New Zealand Defence Force’s Maritime Component Commander, says the joint effort reflects the deep commitment shared by both nations to tackle common security and economic challenges.
“For many years, at the request of the Fijian government, we have conducted joint fishery patrols to ensure Fiji’s natural resources and vital revenue streams aren’t being exploited through illegal fishing by other countries.
“Now we are confronting a criminal issue just as important but with deadly consequences,” Commodore Arndell said.
“The movement of drugs from South America through the Pacific is a very real concern and has a significant and long-lasting impact on the lives of Fijians, their families and the wider Pasifika community.
“All too often we see the harm these narcotics bring, so the opportunity to work with our fri
Tourism – Queenstown’s triple swing action getting closer to reality
| Source: AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand (AJHBNZ)
Queenstown’s newest adventure tourism attraction at the global home of bungy is getting closer to opening, with construction of the hotly anticipated three-person swing well underway. The Kawarau Swing is the latest innovation created by tourism pioneers AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand (AJHBNZ). Located at the historic Kawarau Bridge, it will be the first three-person adventure swing in the South Island and is on track open in September. Ideal for families and people seeking a different experience at the world’s first commercial bungy location, the swing will complement AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand’s existing bungy and zipride experiences at the historic Kawarau Bungy Bridge site. “Not everyone who visits the Kawarau Bridge chooses to do a bungy jump,” Mitchell explains. “That’s why we’ve designed the Kawarau Swing to appeal to people who are seeking a different experience, which hits that sweet spot between the full-on adrenaline rush of a bungy and the pure joy of a zipride. Ever since it was launched with a buzz by AJ Hackett and Henry van Asch back in 1988, AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand has been in the business of fuelling people with courage and adrenaline. The world’s first commercial bungy operation opened at the Kawarau Bridge in November 1988 and AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand has remained committed to levelling up the exhilaration across Aotearoa, with bungy, zipride, swing, catapult, skywalk, skyjump and bridge climb across Queenstown, Taupō and Auckland. |