Why German House Prices have been Flat

Geoff SimmonsEconomics

Why German House Prices have been Flat The picture below says it all – German house prices have been flat (in real terms) for the past 30 years, while over the same time ours have increased by 150%. This despite … Read More

Three Questions for Labour on their Housing Policy

Geoff SimmonsEconomics

Labour’s housing policy hit all the right political notes; more social housing, more affordable housing, a tax-based rap over the knuckles for all those ‘nasty’ investors and of course a ban on foreign buyers. The question is can they deliver? … Read More

How healthy star ratings work – Whiteboard Friday

Gareth MorganHealth

This week we’ve seen a debate open up on the Government’s new healthy star ratings. Some argue that they should be ditched because they are endorsing packaged foods that are high in sugar and unhealthy. Others have defended the system as … Read More

Heads in the sand as the sea rises

Geoff SimmonsEnvironment

Today the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Jan Wright, fronted up to the finance select committee to talk about the financial and economic risks of climate change, particularly sea level rise. International banks, insurers and investors have well and truly … Read More

crazy reduce house prices

Would it be Crazy to Reduce House Prices by 40%?

Geoff SimmonsEconomics

Economist Arthur Grimes yesterday suggested building 150,000 new homes to reduce Auckland house prices by 40%. This idea was described as ‘just crazy’ by the Prime Minister. Is it? Affordability We know that in Auckland the median house price is … Read More