The housing makes an important contribution to the economy. In 2003 the capital expenditure on housing by all sectors was $7.4 billion and Household expenditure on housing was around $14.6 billion or nearly 20% of Total Household Consumption, total housing activity accounts for about 17% of Gross Domestic Product. The housing is provides employment for increasing numbers of New Zealanders from a wide range of trades and professions.
The construction industry employed some 93,100 people in the year 2003 an increased of 20,000 since 2001 and advertised vacancies in housing related professions like architects & property managers increased by 41%, as well as giving us a roof over our head, many of us also consider owning a house. Moreover a quarter of the population was under 15 at the time of the 2001 Census in the next 50 years, the number of children is projected to decrease, reflecting the combined impact of lower fertility rates and fewer women of chide bearing age. They address children’s needs in housing design to ensure it provides for their well-being and healthy development and consider the impact of housing policies on child well-being.
New Zealand’s housing stock cannot be easily compared with that of other countries. Isolation, a colonial/settler past, a temperate climate and the initial wealth of high-quality timber led to housing largely consisting of timber framed and clad, stand-alone dwellings. Much of the older urban housing was built to meet the immediate needs of workers in the early years of colonial settlement, while the typical suburban home of the 1940s to 1970s was designed to meet the needs of nuclear families consisting of a husband, wife and two or three children.