Confidence in the housing market has bounced back strongly after a post-election slump, with house price expectations in Auckland now at their highest in 12 months, according to the latest ASB Housing Confidence Survey.
ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley and senior economist Mark Smith said house price expectations- measured by whether people thought prices would rise or not in the next year - rebounded nationwide and for all of the broad regional areas.
Nationwide the house price expectations rose sharply from what was a six-and-a-half year trough hit in the last survey undertaken in January.
The economists saw the rebound from the election slump as a "significant jump".
"The net balance of respondents expecting house prices to increase rose to 32%, back to where it was in the July 2017 survey, and well above October 2017 (+17%) and January 2018 (+16%) lulls."
A net 19% of respondents to the latest survey thought Auckland prices would rise, which is a 12 month-high, while price expectations were the most upbeat in the Rest of the South Island (+45%) and the Rest of the North Island (+43%).
Tuffley and Smith said despite some falls for fixed mortgage rates, respondents continued to expect interest rates to increase in the next 12 months (net 32%), fractionally up on last quarter, but not to the same extent as 12 months ago.
Most respondents still see it as a bad time to buy a house, but views are the least pessimistic in two years.
Canterbury respondents view it as the best time to buy since early 2011.
"Normal service looked to be returning following post September 2017 General Election weakness, according to our latest ASB Housing Confidence Survey," they said.
Tuffley added though that it was worth remembering that the 32% net balance is still well below the +42% this time last year.
"Stretched housing affordability and respondents’ uncertainty over the impact of the Government’s new housing policies suggest that we’re actually past the peak for house price increases.”
And Christchurch remains the only region where the majority of respondents (a net 6 %) consider it a good time to buy.
"In fact, the net balance for the region is the highest since early 2011, suggesting market conditions for buyers are the most favourable since the devastating February 2011 earthquake," Tuffley said.
In most other regions pessimists outnumber optimists, with 14% of respondents nationwide saying it’s a good time to buy, while 20% of nationwide respondents say it’s a bad time.
However, there are signs this pessimism is abating, with the net balance considerably less negative than it was a year ago (-17%).
“It’s the least negative net balance in two years and we believe it signals that although respondents are generally cautious on the outlook, there is slowly growing confidence that a soft landing for the housing market could be achieved,” Tuffley said.
Tuffley and Smith said It is too soon to tell if firming house price expectations will translate into observed house price increases, particularly with still considerable uncertainties over the impact of proposed government policy changes.
"What has remained evident, however, is that regional house price expectations from our survey have tended to reflect recently observed house price developments.
"Less upbeat house price expectations for Auckland and Canterbury are consistent with broadly flat observed house prices. Conversely, stronger house price expectations for the rest of the country are consistent with sizeable house price increases observed outside of the major urban areas."
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176 Comments
I’m just sceptical of a survey released by a party with vested interests. A propaganda piece to push their narratives and condition people.
It doesn't make sense to design research so that the methodology is weak and the data biased. That doesn't mean that the bank can't attach its own narrative for delivery to the people; however to suggest that the banks don't have competent researchers is a stretch.
Do they have to? Zachary posts analysis after analysis of actual sales and the peanut gallery goes quiet. Yesterday, I mentioned a St Heliers property selling at $2.4 million for a 843m2 section. It sold at 106% of CV and will almost certainly be subdivided so they buyer sees demand to build 2 new houses with the section costs of $1.2 million. Sure it’s not the FHB market, but why aren’t people posting their sales analysis of that end of the market?
Has the Foreign Buyers ban been enforce yet? I don't think so, the legislation Is there but it still hasn't been brought in to force.
Also there's nothing much that has been done to stop money laundering either. Perhaps a volcanic event such as what is happening in Hawaii is the only thing to detur overseas speculative investors.
After all Auckland is sat on over 50 volcanoes. ;)
Why would a foreigner buy an expensive development site if they expected other foreigners would be unable to buy the eventual new homes? I just heard from my son that there is a new bus link along Tamaki drive. Every 15 minutes 7 days a week until midnight. That sounds ominous as there may be intensification plans coming as well.
Why did foreigners pour millions into the Auckland property market ?
Variety of reasons have been well stated
If you develope property of course you’re hoping to profit but there’s been many times the market has changed by the time the development is ready for sale. I really shouldn’t need to illuminate you on which properties
took an age to sell at the top end in the past.
Hawaiian themed mansion Paratai Drive Mark Hotchin estate Spencer on Byron Penthouse just a few at the “TopEnd”
Now I’m trying to find “affordable housing” in Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket and looks like I’ll stay with my NS purchase
An early Spring?
The auction results page continues to show very stable sales results. I analyzed another 38 typical Auckland properties, excluding apartments, added since my last review.
Of the 38 sold 24 sold above 2017 RV.
44.146M in sales with 2017 RV of 43.280M and 2014 RV of 30.270M
2% above 2017 RV and 45.8% above 2014 RV
Some quite varying results with one property selling for 450k below RV and one selling for 380k over RV. It tends to average out.
Closer analysis of the one that sold well below RV, 45 Dexter Avenue in Mt Eden reveals it last sold for 925k in April 2006. Selling now for 2.1M reveals that it has gone up 127% which exceeds the average for Auckland during that time period. I think on average Auckland houses have gone up a little over 90% since 2007.
https://www.barfoot.co.nz/756266
#goodbuy is this house in New Lynn:
https://www.barfoot.co.nz/756714
RV of 860k and sold for 695k
Odd design, always hard to sell. What were the designers thinking?
The percentage selling above RV does tend to give one the impression that things are pretty healthy. Do-ups are still the best buys for FHBers as they always have been really.
I would hesitate to advise buyers to wait until a crash at this stage. I wouldn't want to take on that responsibility! If you need a house and you see one you can afford I say buy it. Especially if it is in a good location and a fairly regular sort of house easy to improve with cosmetic changes. Kitchens and bathrooms can be easily improved these days for minimal cost if you do it yourself. New carpet and paint can do wonders.
Really good analysis Zach. There are some areas that are still going up like Mt Eden, easy drive to city, very central and number of facilities close by. But areas like Blockhouse Bay, Mt Roskill, etc that have had big jumps last two years is starting to lose some of the gains over the last 2 years. The foriegn buyer effect is gone already, happened last year with China restrictions and govt change. Foreigners are buying some $5m plus properties for themselves but Mum and Dad foriegn investors are out, can't get money out of their country.
Yes the investors have lost a bit of equity in the suburbs while at the same time have reduced costs in mortgage interest rates.Rents are healthy too so they are probably not feeling any real pain. It's not so enticing as it was for new investors entering the game though.
I'd say you should have a good personal reason for buying that extra house in the burbs. Maybe a place for the kids, to retire to or provide a rental income in the future.
It is a cross-lease property which means it wont fetch the premium price. I've noticed that the RV doesn't appear to distinguish between freehold and cross-lease. Cross-lease titles are knocking off 2-300k of value in the premium Central suburbs. But then they did cost less in the past too. You generally buy cross-lease if you cannot afford freehold.
The other property is much larger and has more land share. I actually went to see 77 Owens as im always looking for opportunities and looked in pics. The property has an extremely steep long driveway and I didn't bother to go in. I'm surprised they even got $2.5m for it, sat on the market for a long time. Vendor probably wanted the CV price which was clearly wrong.
"Dr Smith" - That sounds awfully similar to a certain former Housing Minister...
Mind you, they do both share a penchant for alternative, selective, and poorly founded 'facts'.
Proof right here -
Dr Smith here is using but 38 properties with substantial geographic and economic distance and implying that his results hold pertinence to the full population.
I have asked him on several occasions to supply the variance of his estimates, to no avail.
Maybe he will listen to MTP seeing as he is so tight with TTP...?
He sure likes to point out the negative attributes of property sales that don't fit his narrative, while at the same time boasting about sales on triple grammar properties (i.e. 45 Dexter Ave in his earlier post on this article) as a clear indicator of the state of the market in Auckland.
I don't exclude cross leases properties however I have noticed that they are often the ones selling for below 2017 RV while freehold get above 2017 RV. They are balancing each other out in a way. Nymad is correct in that the title is factored into the value, I just noted that sometimes they appear to be given a value more in line with a freehold property when they shouldn't.
To be clear I use the Auckland normal sort of house system for my "analysis". Freehold or crosslease. I exclude obviously problematic homes like those with no CCC or proven to be leaky. Also new builds and subdivisions are usually excluded. New builds would make things look too rosy if the RV was on the demolished house. See how fair I am?
And, I didn't this time, but I usually stress that these figures are derived from very motivated buyers. That must be kept in mind.
Of the 38 sold 24 sold above 2017 RV.
Basic analytics questions to as yourself:
1. How is your "population" defined? (Any stupid answers will show you don't understand the basics of analysis)
2. What is the margin of error of your rep sample (n=38) on the direction of house price values?
3. What does the RV benchmark tell you? Are you saying that a "construct" is the focal point for analysing house price movements? What are the limitations of this?
Firstly, thanks for the data - I get too bored every time I start to load the data into spreadsheets.
I did load the first 30 of B&T sales and came out around 96% of RV. What I believe I saw in the data was that prices were higher for those with large land sites or potential for subdivision. This suggests that the new urban zones may not be accurately reflected in the RV's.
There is also a risk that the properties that are going to auction, or at least selling at auction, are the ones where the RV understates the values.
I think the QV figures are the best of a bad bunch in this space - although greatly lagged. I applaud EcoBird for at least putting a prediction on the site - although we should check what measure she is looking to use when July rolls around - REINZ; QV or B&T.
This stopped last year. I don't think the legislation will have a major impact anymore. I do sympathise with your sentiment and I feel the same way. I have lost out on auctions to buyers on phone from China on numerous occasions. Our problem now is just demand and supply. We still have high level of immigration and building new houses is super expensive so supply is still stuffed.
Haha thanks mate. I actually submitted promoting the ban. It's better for us to have it then not even though the horse is bolted, effect will be negligible now. I sent further emails to David Parker after they delayed the ban. Funnily he didn't reply to any of my emails. I feel his doing a "Eminem" Stan on me.
Houseworks, I had no idea of the impression I had made on you. It's been my pleasure. Rest assured, I will certainly seize upon the opportunity to talk some sense into you should it arise again in the future ;-) The importance of becoming a law abiding Landlord should never be underestimated! Remember this? "Sometimes don't even get my bonds lodged which I realise is a huge no no although I know I'm not alone in this transgression. It can be expensive if pinged touch wood"
The two words did come from different sources—rack is thought to be from the Middle Dutch word recken, meaning “to stretch,” and wrack comes from the Middle English word for a shipwreck, wrak—and do retain different meanings. However, wrack has so often been used as a variant spelling of rack, especially when used in the phrases “(w)rack one’s brain” and “(w)racked with pain,” that many dictionaries now list it as a variant.
--Merriam Webster
The 'powers that be' are most likely interested in a stable, slightly improving hosing market. A healthy economy would see confidence in house prices holding and going up at least slightly. Too hot is a concern but only because it makes the likelihood of a crash greater.
Locations that are in decline economically always have depressed house prices.
You want a populace of confident folk willing to invest and the prospect of not losing your money and in fact making a good investment is critical.
Something to consider. The 'steering committee' the 'deep state' the 'vested interests' whatever you like to call it, are probably on the side of the spruikers. From a purely self interested POV this is probably the side to be on. I hate to admit it really.
Zachary's comment about a healthy economy is correct (and thanks for all the Auckland house price information you provide, Zachary).
According to The Treasury forecasts – which do not differ greatly from those of any other reputable forecaster – the economy is in a sweet spot. Output is expected to grow at about 2.9 percent a year over the next four years and employment about 1.7% p.a. That means a productivity growth of 1.2% p.a.. The expectation is that real wages will rise slightly faster than productivity; inflation is expected to remain low (an average 1.8% p.a.). The country will still be borrowing overseas and the net international investment position (roughly net overseas debt) will rise from 54.7 percent in June 2018 to 57.0 percent. That may be disappointing but not dangerously so; the level in June 2017 was 57.3 percent.
So a steady-as-she-goes housing market across the foreseeable future is pretty much on the cards.
Those who anticipate (or yearn for) a sizeable dip in house prices are in for continuing disappointment.
TTP
I'm not seeing this in the market at the moment.
Heard anecdotal evidence from a RE, with a Chinese sounding surname. Banks with Chinese sounding names in NZ have stopped lending on income in China. This has left some buyers (with Chinese sounding surnames) in a right pickle (2 that I know of). The said banks were giving buyers (with Chinese sounding surnames) verbal oks to buy to a certain limit. Offers (unconditional) were made and when the buyers went to finalise the mortgage they were told NO, China income no longer accepted. Buyers now desperately trying to get finance before deal collapses.
I know that the Big Four stopped lending on fake Chinese income/ foreign income last year (forging fake documents is a national pastime in China). The Chinese banks continued, picking up the slack. Seems even they are now concerned at the quality of the loans they have been making. I wonder how big of a problem these questionable loans may become in the future?
If you are following the world news, the Aussie Govt is already expressing their concerns on Mainland's interference in their own country and around the pacific especially. NZ at some points will follow suit and I would be hesitant to bet on any hope of large number of buyers returning to our market
Expectations of course do not mean they will eventuate - could be false hope. However, I think what it means is that most people have looked at the government's plans and have concluded that not much is going to change in the short to medium term. Kiwibuild is a fizzer and and foreign home buying will have so many carve outs and exceptions that it will have little impact. Migration, while slowing, still means more and more dwellings are required in addition to the backlog we now have. As yet, I have to see much from this government that will mean more supply. If there is a correction in the housing market then it will probably relate to outside factors or just a natural cycle.
Interesting. Since prices aren't going up, so now we have be happy with "expectations". Expectation is not reliable but hard real data is. would wait to see if prices are going up, which I doubt would happen in near future because of two reasons- 1) Bright line test now increased to 5 years. An investor/speculator who buys a property for capital gains has to wait for 5 years to get tax free gains. 2) End of negative gearing from 2020 which would dampen the demand a bit. On top of that, if foreign buyer ban is implemented, one can only imagine what would happen. Trust me, nothing lasts forever. It's smart to get out while you can and lock your gains. Cash up and be ready to scoop when market crashes.
Confidence in the housing market has bounced back????
By whom? RE agents, vendors clinging on to the raised expectations on the elevated GV's ?
The figures of listings on Trade-Me, the auction clearance rates, attendance at open homes, Sold listings figures in RE agents' profile tell a different story etc
I went to a DGZ on site auction last week. 14 RE agents, 1 nosy neighbour and me, no buyers at all. Most uncomfortable event I have ever been to. Champers, San Pellegrino and Ferrero Rochers laid out on the dining table. The auctioneer pulled me aside to twist my arm into making a bid before the property was "opened to the market for all offers". Not sure how he could say that with a straight face. Of course I declined.
I have noticed 2BR or 3BR places are still in seriously hot demand for FHBs down here. My rental letterbox is constantly being bombarded with more and more aggressive pitches for my landlord to put the place on the market. I went to three open homes over the weekend, must have been at least 30 groups going through each. What I found hard to comprehend was that they were rolling up in giant SUVs, flash new UTEs, and one even in a porsche! Either this is Auckland money heading south, or low interest lending has become so ingrained in the psyche of my generation that the concept of risk simply doesn't exist.
pin2cone Well there are articles around about the Auckland exodus and some NZ property investors have certainly moved out of Auckland to find better yields or somewhere where their capital can meet the LVR.
Flash cars can be just as symptomatic of debt as it can be of actual wealth, let's not forget NZ has 168% household debt to income.
We're currently driving around in an old 90s banger (courtesy car) because our 4x4 is being repaired after a drunk driver crashed in to it. So if we pulled up at an open home, we'd likely be judged poorer than the chumps with their UTE on hire purchase.
Hi Carlos67,
That's a valid comment........
But it's not going to make you too popular here, I'm afraid.
Nonetheless, being forthright and to-the-point in blogs like this one is more satisfying than mere popularity - or that's what I find.
In any case, even in this blog most contributors have accepted now that there ain't going to be a crash.
TTP
No crash in Auckland just an adjustment due to the Chinese no longer buying and paying high prices like they did between 2014 and 2016.
Ten years from now the Auckland average property price trend line will likely show a minor upward blip during that period but otherwise just a continued upward slope as it has done since forever.
Anyone seen the latest vid from Martin North (House of Cards). Pretty much time to drag the toaster into the bathtub. Not sure where this all this supposed optimism is coming from.
The optimism comes from the comms depts of the various financial organizations and govt leaders and depts. It's a never-ending performance of confidence tricks.
Yes there are good no.s of first home buyers buying as it makes sense to own rather than renting, however a lot just don’t save enough for deposits.
Christchurch popularity will continue to grow despite the Chch expert Gordon booking on about the weather and shakes etc.
ChCh rebuild,has been very slow but momentum has picked up a bit and there are still opportunities if you are prepared to take them.
Try house+plot as follows:
- Starts with a 4, 3 bed 1 bath: Mike Greer Homes
- Starts with a 4, 3 bed 2 bath:Stonewood Homes
- Starts with a 3:Ravenswood subdivision
Keep a hanky handy: keyboards and salty tears don't mix.
All sponsored garbage like this comes under the heading of "One Roof" and is salivated upon by the gullible few. Funny how a bank sponsored survey gets 80 plus comments yet the more insightful "Train Wreck" series of articles gets half that. ASB are just trying to keep the train on the tracks! Can't say I blame them considering what's inevitably at stake.
Now that things are heating up again we can discuss interesting details of buying and selling homes. What do people here think about pre-auction offers? Good idea or bad idea? Good for the buyer or good for the seller?
Have you ever noticed an advert where it states that no pre-auction offers will be considered? Noob seller or seasoned professional?
Pre auction offers are good for the seller if they choose to bring the auction forward, at least based on the last two I followed in Kohi. Both sold at auction to a buyer other than the person making the pre auction offer. The agent said it was common as people are attracted to houses that others show interest in.
Wow, where did that ZS comment come from? It really does represent an alternative reality to how I perceive things. Credit tightening, Aussie banks coming under pressure in Aussie, high level of inventory, rising worldwide interest rates, but it’s all still apparently onwards and upwards to a DTI of infinity? Don’t get it at all
We share a banking sector, their banks are our banks. I suppose if things went well south in the Australian property sector that would be a psychological shock here but I don’t think that counts for much. It’s about us sharing the commmon credit of their banks. If their bubble pops spectacularly that may really damage their banking system, and we would be the collateral damage
Good question. Pre-owned auction works well to eliminate competition while others haven't seen or still doing due diligence. I'm not sure if it's that good for the seller as all you've done is stopped everyone getting to a position to bid. I have never bought pre-auction but I know a few people who picked up some good deals. Not an issue right now as according to this website blogs nothing is selling. :-)
In all honesty, it is a terrible time to sell. People are too scared to buy with all this anti-property sentiments around especially with this idiotic govt who are happy to bank roll developers, pay high build costs and punish landlords. I think if you can off hold selling for a year or 2, you will do much better than in today's market.
It certainly presents the seller with a conundrum. Generally a pre-auction offer would have to be a fairly aggressive one to be tempting so a buyer is unlikely to get a super bargain. I agree with Rex-Pat's suggestion that it gives other buyers confidence to bid reasonably knowing there are other buyers for the property out there but do those other buyers have time to get their act together?
It is still probably not a bad time to sell in a premium location. I was talking with an agent at an open home in the weekend about a possible rush of landlords offloading their rentals with the new rules coming in. He said that it takes about two years for the decision to become a no brainer.
If you had several properties and were slightly negatively geared it may only take selling one property to put it all back into being positively geared. Quite a few property owners may be in this position. Landlords don't have to give up all their properties to put themselves in a solid position.
Yawn.
In my opinion Auckland remains overrated and very overpriced for what it is.
Once a really nice and reasonably affordable city, over time turning into a place that is losing its sheen as it continues to get overcongested and overpriced. A real pity.
I think I finally lost Auckland when I had a couple of four hour return trips to Omaha over summer. Stuff that
True ... the Queen City was already showing itself to be bursting at the seams , and with a failing infrastructure , under the Clark / Cullen government ... before the Key / English regime completely stuffed it up by unleashing an unrestrained immigration policy ... flooding NZ , and Orc Land particularly , with hoards of unskilled Indian and Chinese youngsters ... in an effort to restrain wages growth ....
... neglected by Labour ... stuffed up by the Gnats ... and now the place has gone completely Goofy ...
Yeah, agree. The natural environment with the harbour is nice, but the built environment is rubbish. It could have been a cute Edwardian cityscape but that’s mostly gone now. Many of the central suburbs are blighted with infill housing, ugly. Auckland represents a litany of missed opportunities, it really lost its way
Auckland was aleady very multicultural in the 90s. That's not the issue.
The issue is that the city has grown too quickly, especially given there has been such poor planning.
And before you throw that 'small town' crap around - I have lived in 3 cities over 5 million population. I like big cities. But I don't like mid sized cities that have got big city problems but lack the big city benefits.
... steady on , sweet-heart ... Orc Land does sit atop 29 dormant volcanoes ... that is simply a scientific fact ... not a wish , we love the Queen City ... or at least , loved the old Orc Land before it got swamped by new arrivals ...
Secondly .... check with the Dept of Sadistics .... under the Gnats NZ was flooded with a huge wave of immigrants from China , India , & the Philippines ... another fact ... not racism .... and the vast majority of them settled in Orc Land ...
Which city do live in? Your comments are very much anti-Auckland and very racist. I can't see any statistic that calls them unskilled Chinese and Indian youngsters??? Play your Banjo and stay happy in your little town where you are all related to each other.
Try to keep out those unskilled Indian and Chinese out of your town, one of your sisters might break your perfect gene pool, sweet-heart.
You can't view Auckland as a city in isolation anymore. Those days are long gone. It's now a node of Globalist culture, the dominant empire of the 21st century. Passing the time "making pathetic accusations of racism" is an important element of that. Just be thankful that we live far away from Airstrip One.
I did not know that Grimsby was a multi-cultural gateway city, hosting multi-national corporate offices with international connections into an economic region.
Ah, I see you jest.
You need to get up to date with new paradigm. Global means worldwide, all over the planet, to the farthest reaches. Have you heard about the Internet and twin engined wide-bodied jets?
... Adelaide has about 12 awesome beaches ... a functioning public transport system .... fantastic wineries in McLaren Vale & the Barossa Valley .... and the German town of Hahndorf , up in the hills ...
Orc Land has .... has .... ahhhhhhhh .... someone help me .... lost for ideas here .... um diddily dum .... Mayor Goofy !
... I've been trying to think of the perfectly safe spot in Kiwi land ... the one spot where nature can't possibly get at you .... where earthquakes , typhoons , tsunamis , forest fires , locusts , volcanos , Greenpeace collectors .... where these are totally absent ...
All I came up with is the parliamentary basement swimming pool deep into the bowels of the Beehive in Wellington ...
... everywhere else you're vulnerable , I guess ...
I never said it's under Wellington. I am born and bred Wellingtonian. If it goes then it could take a number of smaller south island centres out, as well as Christchurch.
Whether it's the alpine fault whacking the south island, or a fault under Wellington, or a big quake in Napier or Tauranga, Auckland will once again take people....and once again be totally unplanned for it
I am relocating to Hamilton due to change of employment , I am shocked to see the sudden surge in prices and buyer activity just in the last 8 weeks or so. Of course I have not done any systematic research but sold prices are much higher than they were late last year and early this year. Anecdotally the agents i met tell me that the buyers are mostly local. The section prices in North Hamilton have shot up about 100-150 K in one year. Strange that Auckland seems to be static but Hamilton and other regions are going up . ? explaination
I am confused now whether to buy swiftly or wait ? The Auckland disease seems to be spreading after killing its host !
I think one should be careful to assume safety or increasing asset values in real estate. New Zealand continues to be one of the most expensive housing market in the world. Look to other countries like Canada to see the consequences of overvalued prices and how quickly they can correct. We've come to far to fast and the norm is always , always to revert back to median.
... I wish that instead of borrowing $NZ 200 Billion from Australian banks , to purchase residential real estate , we had invested that munny into infrastructure ... the roads , tunnels , sports stadiums , transmission lines , bridges , poo treatment plants , yada dada doooo ...
Things we really need ; things that raise our standard of living , and improve our daily lives ....things that shorten our daily commute time ...
... as opposed to exorbitantly high house prices ... $ 200 billion buys a lot of pain for renters and other on-house owners , FHB's ... and indebts us to a bunch of crooked offshore financiers ...
I'd just like to get the last word in on this thread. I see Auckland beats Brisbane, Perth, Vancouver, Montreal and even Berlin in the Global City rankings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city
You may vehemently disagree with this but that is only because you are a bit of a dinosaur. It is an endearing trait to be so negative about one's own place, typically Kiwi. You think that Auckland is a steaming pile of faeces, I get that. Unfortunately your time is coming to an end. There is no place for you in the global network of cities except perhaps the museum or zoo.
New people are coming, people who are dynamic and exciting, hard working and above all positive. People who have faced hardship and oppression and realize that NZ is leading the way in the development of a 'brave new world'. People who have an affinity with the tanga te wheunua, who understand what freedom is, that human rights are universal. People who will thrive in the Global City.
People who will change our culture. People like Golriz Ghahraman, Green MP and former child refugee who is already beavering away on improving our laws so that no one's feelings can ever be hurt without severe consequences.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/innovation/104113652/europe-showing-nz…
Just go to any public place in Auckland and look around you.
That old, self deprecating Kiwi, in the T shirt and gum boots, talking crap about everything, is not long for this world.
Nations are disappearing, patriotism is abhorred, what matters most is feelings and that everyone is positive in the Global network.
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