The intensification of our suburbs in our largest cities represents a major change to the way in which New Zealanders live. We’ve always counted on space, that wonderful quarter-acre dream. But as more of us flock to the bigger centres, that equation no longer works. We can’t stretch out our city limits indefinitely, so sections are starting to feel the squeeze.

The government and National Party’s bipartisan agreement on medium density residential standards (MDRS) allows developers in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch to build three townhouses, up to three-storeys each, on 50 per cent of land without consent.

While this offers opportunities aplenty for developers and investors wanting to maximise potential of their property, it isn’t without detractors. The Christchurch City Council has voted against the rules.

We look at the nuts and bolts of this issue in our lead this month. Some councils (such as Auckland) have chosen to protect some suburbs of historical value, while rezoning others. But there’s no doubt there are opportunities for investors who were previously hogtied by rules and regulations in the cities they work in.

Sally Lindsay takes a deep dive into all the issues surrounding intensification and makes some interesting findings. We hope this helps you make decisions around your own property and its potential.

We profile the winner of New Zealand Property Investors’ Federation Landlord of the Year in this issue. Natasha Middleton prides herself on her empathic land-lording; over the years she’s worked alongside her tenants to create mutually beneficial situations. She reveals how self-managing landlords can work effectively: keeping tenants happy and making great investment decisions at the same time.

We also visit the runner-up in Resene’s Renovation of the Year. Trish Keogh has appeared in our pages before: this time she talks us through a renovation in Invercargill that took her back to a city where she’d experienced a previously unsuccessful renovation. The reprise yielded a very different result.

We hope you have been enjoying the warmer weather and here’s to a lovely summer ahead. November always has an expectant buzz, with Christmas just around the corner, so sit back with a cuppa in the sun and enjoy the latest copy of New Zealand Property Investor.

All the best.

From the team at New Zealand Property Investor