Are Shoebox Apartments About To Take Over NZ?

Are Shoebox Apartments About To Take Over NZ?

From Making Cents by Frances Cook

June 3, 2026 · 17 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the potential impact of scrapping minimum apartment size rules in New Zealand and explores the implications for various stakeholders in the housing market.

Could the home of the future be the size of a carpark? The government is talking about scrapping minimum apartment size rules, and one Making Cents listener wants to know if that's a housing fix or a housing trap. Vanessa Williams from http://realestate.co.nz has fresh data to help us figure this out. We get into whether micro apartments could actually ease the housing shortage, what banks will and won't lend on when it comes to small apartments, and who this would most likely impact, from first home buyers, to investors, or students. Plus: how New Zealand's apartment market compares to the rest of the world, and whether our obsession with the quarter-acre dream is starting to shift. In this episode: Could scrapping minimum apartment sizes help first home buyers? What do banks actually lend on when it comes to small apartments? Are micro apartments a smart investment or a future problem? How New Zealand's property culture compares globally Who stands to gain, and who should be cautious If you have a letter you’d like us to answer, send it through to ask@francescook.co.nz and you might feature on our next episode! Follow me everywhere! Facebook /…

People in this episode

Host: Frances Cook

Guest: Vanessa Williams

Topics covered

  • housing
  • micro apartments
  • real estate
  • bank lending
  • first home buyers
  • investment

Keywords

  • shoebox apartments
  • housing shortage
  • minimum apartment size
  • bank lending
  • investment
  • first home buyers
  • New Zealand property market

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: realestate.co.nz

Places: New Zealand

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