When it’s best to stay in the nest
Growing up used to be about getting out but with the country’s property madness some Kiwi rites of passage might have started to fade.
A rental accommodation crisis in Wellington – rents are up 10 per cent in latest Trade Me figures – might be altering the way families evolve.
In the past, young adults looked forward to leaving the nest as soon as tertiary study beckoned, but for some like Porirua’s Nathan Waddle, staying in the family home was the smarter option.
Waddle said he stayed at home with his parents for the four years of his study, combined with paid work, for an IT degree.
‘‘You’ve got people around you that you can trust, and it’s nice to have that to fall back on ... that safe environment, I can sit at home and I can do my studies.’’
Waddle said when he started working alongside his studies, it was only fair that he chipped in ‘‘with a bit of rent’’.
Life was ‘‘very different’’ now away from home and flatting, he said.
‘‘Cooking your own meals ... a bit more, and looking after your own stuff, doing your own laundry. I was quite lucky to have a mother who would do quite a bit of that.’’
For others like Victoria University theatre and media student Samuel Cameron, the commute from Paraparaumu was still the cheapest option.
Cameron, in his second year, said he crunched the numbers in 2019 and taking public transport into town from his Ka¯ piti Coast family
home was less expensive than moving out.
He said he heard ‘‘horror stories’’ from other students about life in the halls of residence, so didn’t feel like he had missed out on life there.
‘‘But I think that definitely I have missed out on the social aspects of renting and living in town.’’
Nevertheless life at home was still good as he had good relationships with both his parents, he said.