Housing in New Zealand

Bach or crib (holiday home), Tasman District, South Island

A small, often very modest holiday home or beach house, called a bach (pronounced "batch") in most of the country, but a "crib" in the lower South Island.[9] are used on a temporary basis as holiday accommodation. These are typically purpose built houses or huts next to a coast or a lake, but can also be used as a base for hunting or fishing in local rivers.[10] They are well known for a rustic, minimalist and mismatched internal design and furniture. However, large expensive holiday homes are also less commonly called baches.

Tents, camper-vans and caravans are also common, however New Zealand lacks the large trailer parks of some similar countries.

A new movement to build tiny homes [11]

There also a large range of wilderness huts in New Zealand, but staying in them for more than three days at a time is discouraged.[12]

Many New Zealanders live permanently in structures which were not designed to be homes and are counted as homeless by the government. Homelessness is a difficult statistic to measure and in New Zealand is not typically recorded with same accuracy as other statistics. In 2013 it was estimated by the census that 1% of people in New Zealand live in "severe housing deprivation". This number has increased from previous years.[13]    

In May 2018 the government allocated $100 million to address homelessness over the next four years.[14]

Maori Chief Tahau in whare mid 1870s.

At first Māori used the building methods that had been developed in tropical Polynesia, altered to fit the more nomadic lifestyle. By the 15th century Classic Māori communities slept in rectangular sleeping houses (wharepuni). The wharepuni were made of timber, rushes, tree ferns and bark, they had a thatched roof and earth floors.[17] These building also had a front porch which was an adaptation to New Zealand's climate and is not found in tropical Polynesia. The effect of European housing methods led to a mix of designs with Maori adopting windows and high roofs.

Cottage, Sydenham, Christchurch

Villa, Royal Oak, Auckland

Houses from this period are divided into cottages and villas. The first houses built in New Zealand were cottages.[18] Villas were the larger and more expensively built equivalent. The typical villa has the kitchen to the rear of the house and separate from the dining room, as food preparation was meant to occur out of sight.[19]

California Bungalow, Paeroa

Art Deco house, Waterview, Auckland

The 20th century started with big Edwardian houses and neo-Georgian architecture[20] From the late 1910s the Californian bungalow became more popular. the design has a lower pitched roof and ceiling height than the typical New Zealand villa and was therefore easier to heat.[18] This coincided with the popularity of the Hollywood film industry, which incorporated American clothes, furniture, cars and houses.

As a response to American influence and nostalgia for Britain a style of houses were built which conspicuously emulated older English styles. Spanish mission style from the late 1920s with grand triple arches and twisted Baroque columns.[21] Modernism (Art deco) of the 1930 was designed to be functional with smooth surfaces and a flat roof.[22]

State housing had a big influence on the way homes were built in New Zealand from the 1940s to the late 1960s.[23]

In the early 21st Century New Zealanders built in variety of styles that borrowed from a variety of previous influences.[18]

In some conspicuous locations in area of natural beauty it is required by local councils to blend the house design with the surrounding environment.[24]

Houses can be built to maximize the heat gained during the day from the sun and retain it overnight.[25]

With increased affluence and environmental concerns a small but growing number of houses are built with semi processed natural materials and traditional building methods.[26][27]

Insulation in ceilings, walls and floor became mandatory for new builds and additions in 1978.[28][29] Glass fibre, polyester, polystyrene, wool and paper are all used for insulation in New Zealand.[30] Home insulation in New Zealand can be heavily subsidised by the government.[30]

According to the 2018 New Zealand census, heat pumps were the most common form of space heating, with 47.3% of households using them as their primary heating appliance. Other common forms of space heating were electric resistance heaters (44.1%) and wood burners (32.3%).[31]

Some local councils are restricting the kind of wood and coal burners that can be used in order to improve air quality.[32]

In 2017 about 80% of New Zealanders were on water purification distribution systems that supplied more than 100 people. Of these 96% met the bacteriological standards for water quality, while 81% met all the relevant standards.[33] The remaining 20% of New Zealanders typical live In rural areas where rain, streams and bores are commonly used as water sources.

Large properties can process or store their sewage on site.[34] Grey water can be reused for purposes other than drinking. This recycling is required by some New Zealand councils.[35]

Most alterations to homes need to be certificated, there are also limits on houses of historical importance.

While all building practices that do not comply with the Building Act are illegal, some are also specifically banned.[39]

Three broad categories are available for suburban house foundations concrete slab, a concrete block basement foundations and an elevated floor with a crawl space.[40] Footing depth varies with soil type and slope, with either a floating polystyrene slab or more rarely piling.

Earthquake risk zones before and after the Christchurch earthquakes.

Earthquakes can occur anywhere in New Zealand, but the risk to building structures is highly regional, with the eastern North Island and western South Island having the highest risk.[41] After the 2011 Christchurch earthquake a major review changed the boundaries and construction rules.[42][43]