Global housing crises highlight systemic issues in New Zealand and the UK

Discussions regarding the global housing crisis highlight different systemic failures in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

In Auckland, New Zealand, housing unaffordability is attributed to factors including low average wages, land-banking by developers, high building material costs due to monopolistic practices, and a lack of state-built housing through Kainga Ora. Proposed solutions include taxing undeveloped residentially zoned land to encourage development.

In the United Kingdom, the property guardian scheme—once a low-cost option for artists and low-income workers living in non-residential buildings—has become increasingly problematic. As the housing crisis intensifies, costs for these arrangements are rising toward standard rental prices. Furthermore, guardians operate under license agreements rather than tenancies, leaving them with fewer legal rights and shorter notice periods for eviction compared to traditional renters.