Shrinking size of an Auckland section
Corazon Miller
Auckland’s new section sizes have shrunk by about a third in the past three decades, and are now typically 120sq m smaller than sections in the rest of the country.
The land that new houses are being built on in Auckland now have a median size of less than 500sq m — signalling that for most the quarteracre (1011sq m) dream is well and truly over.
Lower affordability and availability of larger properties have forced many Kiwis to downsize on their new builds, new figures released to the Herald show.
Homes.co.nz data showed that since the pre-1990s, when the size of median new-build sections was 731sq m, the size of available bare land in the country’s biggest city has shrunk in all the subsequent decades.
In 2017 it dipped to just 499sq m — a trend that’s also reflected nationwide with sections shrinking by 146sq m in the last three decades to 617sq m in 2017.
CoreLogic head of research Nick Goodall said houses alone were not as common as they previously were.
“Five years ago 80 per cent of new consents were houses, now it’s under 50 per cent.
“No doubt this is an accepted consequence of the Auckland Unitary Plan . . .”
Homes.co.nz chief marketing officer Jeremy O’Hanlon expected the downward trend would continue.
“If we extend this trend out another 20 years you’d expect the average section-size for a new home to come in at around 260sq m.”
Head of Trade Me Property Nigel Jeffries said the changes could be put down to Kiwis’ changing expectations when it comes to both the size of the house and the section.
“The quarter-acre dream has slowly become a thing of the past and buyers are having to downsize in order to secure the property they want.
“As property prices have soared in recent years, it’s not surprising that many Aucklanders have had to downsize in order to get a foot on the property ladder.”
Across Trade Me’s for-sale listings the median size of an Auckland City section with existing property was slightly larger than the 499sq m of a new-build section — 508sq m in 2017.
Jeffries said the smaller sections and the apartment lifestyle came with some benefits.
“The maintenance on these properties is far lower, they’re cheaper than a traditional house and they’re typically located right in the centre of town.”
Kimberley Ubels’ first step onto the property ladder came in the form of a smaller section and house in the west Auckland suburb of Avondale.
She bought the 54sq m cottage, on approximately 230sq m of land, on Kelvinside Terrace in 2013.
The then-single working professional had been scouring the city’s housing market for some time.
“I wanted to buy, I had some savings . . . I could see things were elevating [beyond] what I could afford.”
She stumbled across the petite cottage which was on sale for a good price and decided to buy.
“It appealed because it was the same size, if not bigger than an apartment or unit. I had all my own space with some land and I could do whatever I wanted in essence to it.”
Public records showed it was bought in 2013 for $383,000 and today has a rating valuation of $560,000.
Ubels, who is now married and has a 6-month-old boy, no longer lives in the property. If you have any information, please contact Counties Manukau Child Protection Team on 09 213 8571, or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Police confirmed their inquiries included interviewing the parents, but were still hunting for answers.
“The fractures have been described by medical experts as being of varying ages and classically associated with non-accidental injury,” Detective Senior Sergeant Eddie Sutherland told the Herald.
“Thankfully, the child is going to make a full recovery, however police are extremely concerned by these injuries.”
Sutherland said the safety and wellbeing of the baby going forward was “paramount” and police had notified the Ministry for Children, Oranga Tamariki.
The baby was now in the agency’s custody.
“Police have not yet charged anyone, however our inquiries are ongoing,” said Sutherland.
“We are now urging anyone with information which can assist our investigation to do the right thing and contact police.”
Oranga Tamariki South Auckland regional manager Jim Wilson confirmed the baby girl was still in the agency’s custody.
“Police notified us when this baby was admitted to hospital due to her injuries.
“The baby was not known to Oranga Tamariki prior to this,” he said.
“The baby girl is now in our custody and recovering well with Oranga Tamariki caregivers.”