Christchurch, a housing affordability lesson

After the Christchurch earthquakes, the city was presented with an opportunity. Did it make the most of it? (Image: Getty)

Oliver Lewis

Mon, 04 Oct 2021

In the middle of a nationwide housing crisis, with price records tumbling month after month, one city has been held up as an example of affordability: Christchurch. First-home buyers locked out of the market in other centres are increasingly looking to the South Island city as a way to get on the ladder. And you can see why. In August, the median Canterbury house price was $619,000, according to the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ). Despite being up 24.3% on the previous year, prices were still far more affordable than oth...

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