The release of data from the 2023 census has revealed more New Zealanders own their own home compared to the previous census. Photo: RNZ
The release of data from the 2023 census has revealed more New Zealanders own their own home compared to the previous census, but those still renting are paying more.
The first census release since the Healthy Homes Standards came into play also shows the quality of heating and insulation has improved, and a reduction in reported dampness in all but one region.
Home ownership has increased. 1,164,217 New Zealanders own their own home, or 66 percent, up from 64.5 percent in the 2018 census. This is the first time the statistic has shown an increase for a long time - since the 1991 census rates had been decreasing.
Principal analyst Rosemary Goodyear admitted the increase was unexpected, and took a few steps to verify.
"There's information about first-home buyers, also the low interest rates you had just after the pandemic."
Goodyear said areas outside major centres like Wellington or Christchurch also saw a high increase in home ownership, demonstrating people were moving outside of the centres to access more affordable housing.
Regionally, Auckland had the lowest rate of home ownership at 59.5 percent, while the highest regional rate was in Tasman with 77.4 percent.
Going by territorial authorities, 82.2 percent of people in Waimakariri district owned their own home, compared to 53.3 percent in Hamilton City.
The median rent increased to $450 from $340, a 32.4 percent increase.
The 2023 census saw a substantial increase in the number of dwellings with heat pumps. Photo: 123RF
While the total number of private dwellings in New Zealand was 2,041,236 (exceeding the 2 million mark for the first time), StatsNZ said 247,623 of them were unoccupied at the time of the census.
Some statistics showed the effects of the Healthy Homes Standards passed by the previous government coming into force. In 2020, the government legislated so that rental housing met minimum standards of heating, insulation, ventilation, dampness protection, and draft-stopping.
The 2023 census saw a substantial increase in the number of dwellings with heat pumps, with 66.8 percent of homes, compared to 47.3 percent in 2018.
Fewer people reported dampness or mould in their homes compared to 2018, with 18.1 percent reporting dampness compared to 21.5 percent in 2018. 14 percent of homes had mould over A4 size, whereas in 2018 it was 16.9 percent.
Gisborne was the only region to report an increase in dampness or mould. StatsNZ attributed this to Cyclone Gabrielle, which happened a few weeks before the census.
Although Census collections were paused following the severe weather events, StatsNZ said almost one in three homes in the Gisborne region were still experiencing dampness at the time of the census.
Landline telephone usage also saw a dramatic slump, with 31 percent of houses saying they had a landline, compared to 62.5 percent in 2018.
The agency previously said an estimated 99 percent of New Zealand's total population was captured in this Census, and 97 percent of Māori.
But only about 4.5 million out of about 5 million Kiwis actually filled it out, below the government's 90 percent target. The rest were covered using existing government data.
Earlier this year, released data from the census showed New Zealand population growth had slowed due to fewer babies being born and reduced migration thanks to Covid-19.