The cost of land planning and consent fees is driving up the expense for building affordable housing in New Zealand, which is restricting growth, according to Finance Minister Bill English. Chris Aitken, CEO of Hobsonville Land Company, says developers often face fees into the hundreds of thousands, and even millions of dollars, but he also notes the building industry needs to make some changes, as reported by newstalkzb.co.nz. “We need to be more efficient at building more modular homes that are more repetitive in their design and the significant costs can be taken out of that,” he says. Ever since the Christchurch earthquake in Feb. 2011 killed 185 people and destroyed thousands of homes, as MHProNews reported Feb. 12, 2014, the country has experienced a severe housing shortage. ##

(Photo credit: Jackie Meiring/archdaily.com–modular housing in New Zealand)