NZ polls result 'won't change housing crunch'

Wellington

BUILDERS in New Zealand, such as the Stevenson Group, have ambitious plans to house some of the tens of thousands of people swelling the population of Auckland, the country's biggest city.

Eight years ago, Stevenson set into motion plans to build 700 homes on an empty paddock. Despite signing up for a fast-track approvals scheme, the company started to clear the site for building work only in recent weeks, said chief executive Mark Franklin.

The experience illustrates New Zealand's struggle to supply housing for a population that's growing at one of the fastest rates in the develope…