Abstract:
The Affordable Housing: Enabling Territorial Authorities Act passed into law in New Zealand in September 2008. Under this legislation, local councils can adopt an affordable housing policy requiring developers to make an affordable housing contribution. However, in November 2008 another National-led government was elected and, a few months later, the Minister of Housing announced a review of the legislation. This paper traces the evolution of New Zealand’s approach to affordable housing contributions. Some of the complexities of the Act are then discussed and critically evaluated with regard to policy “fit” for local councils and in comparison to similar initiatives in the UK and the USA.
