March 30, 2020

NZ Urban Development News - 19 February

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

Hi *|FNAME|*, Please find below Urban Development News from the media from the week of 19 February 2019.

Provided by Rockhopper

The Government's KiwiBuild unit is preparing to appoint real estate agents

The Government's KiwiBuild unit is preparing to appoint real estate agents to undertake the sale of KiwiBuild homes as the scheme starts to ramp up.

The unit has issued a notice saying it intends to appoint a Real Estate Panel of agents to undertake the sale of KiwiBuild homes that are sold off the plans.

As its names suggests, the Buying Off The Plans Scheme involves selling homes to eligible KiwiBuild buyers before they are constructed.

These homes are usually part of larger projects undertaken by private developers.

https://www.interest.co.nz/property/98160/contracts-sell-thousands-kiwibuild-homes-could-be-available-real-estate-agents

Prime shopping centres fetch $600m

Sales of shopping centres held up in 2018 despite concerns about the impact of online shopping.

Some $600 million of retail properties changed hands, only 1.6 per cent higher than in 2017, with some of those "trophy" assets, according to Colliers International's Capital Markets Australia & New Zealand Investment Review Retail report.

Fewer shopping centres were sold - 34 compared to 44 in 2017- but for generally higher values.

The biggest deals were in Wellington and Christchurch though 44 per cent by value of the sales were in the City of Sails, Colliers provisional data showed.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/110556477/prime-shopping-centres-fetch-600m-and-still-sought-after-despite-online-challenge

40-year high for home consents issued to government

Home consents issued to central government agencies reached a 40-year high in the year ended December 2018, Stats NZ said today.

Central government agencies, including Housing New Zealand, were granted consent for 1,999 new homes in 2018, which is the highest number since the year ended November 1978 when 2,105 were consented.

“There has been significant increases in new home consents issued to central government agencies in the last few years, with levels approaching those last seen in the 1970s,” construction statistics manager Melissa McKenzie said.

https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/40-year-high-for-home-consents-issued-to-government