We should build smaller homes
Something is wrong when KiwiBuild houses cost more than twice the median income.
Successive governments have failed to provide the leadership required to deliver affordable housing to first-home buyers who want a functional, well-built home close to work or public transport. Liveability and affordability are more important than size.
New Zealand is not unique in dealing with unaffordable housing. Cities have limited space and high demands for homes. The experience in many cities shows that climbing on to the first rung of the housing ladder is facilitated by managing expectations of acceptable living spaces.
The Japanese Government recommends that in urban or suburban areas a family of four should have a living area of 95m2. The average living space in New York is about 100m2, in London it’s 80m2, and in Paris it’s 65m2. Until the 1960s the average size of houses in New Zealand was less than 150m2 and the average family larger than today.
This Government needs to be more proactive and specify the design requirements of KiwiBuild homes: modest size, good quality, convenient for transport.
If developments are of medium to high density then, based on current building costs, these homes should cost much less than $500,000-$650,000.
Ray Wood, Wellington
Streaming simple
Having never streamed anything, we have spent the last few weeks streaming all of our TV content. This has been very different but surprisingly simple. I have watched the Super Rugby highlights, which appear about 21⁄2 hours after kickoff on YouTube.
About 80,000-90,000 people are watching the highlights. This is about half of the total audience watching the live Sky transmission.
I understand next year’s Rugby World Cup is to be livestreamed. Since there seems to be a growing market and considering next year, is it not time for New Zealand Rugby to make more content available in the near future?
Gary Patterson , O¯ taki
Leave name alone
The proposal to change the name of Victoria University of Wellington (‘‘Vic’’ to past and present generations of students) to the University of Wellington is unimaginative and silly. Also it will be very costly.
The University of Malaya did not change its name when Malaya became Malaysia. Nor did the University of Peking change its name when the city became Beijing.
Prime Minister Richard Seddon named the capital city’s university ‘‘Victoria’’ to mark the Queen’s diamond jubilee in 1897. A university should surely not tamper with tradition and history.
Margaret Clark, Professor Emeritus, Wellington
Why so belligerent?
I have been quizzically reading Joel Maxwell’s articles. What is he really getting at? If he was getting pleasure from learning Ma¯ ori he would not be so belligerent.
Now I think he has allowed me to put my finger on it (Come on Simon, put your best foot forward, July 30). He berates Simon Bridges, believing that because Bridges has some Ma¯ ori blood coursing through his veins, he should be taking a year off from his busy political life to learn the Ma¯ ori language.
This leads me to believe Joel thinks he has failed in the world the majority of New Zealanders live in. This is leading to him venting his spleen on us regularly.
Joel, enjoy your journey into the Ma¯ ori language world and, when you are fluent, you will be able to explain to us uncouths and the busy the advantages it will bestow on them.
Garth Scown, Whanganui
Car park cage
There is a cage around the Michael Fowler car park. Someone came up with the silly idea of providing a prefab for the homeless New Zealand Ballet company on this perfectly useful car park.
There are at least two better places to provide the dancers with a home. The truly obvious choice would be in John St with the New Zealand School of Dance, and Toi Whakaari, the New Zealand Theatre School, where there is already plenty of the right kind of space.
If it must be a downtown site what about the handy little Jack Ilott Green? At present it is dank and empty. It could perhaps be revived by dance. Sharon Ellis, Te Aro [abridged]