Generation Rent by Shamubeel and Selena Eaqub

Written by economist Shamubeel Eaqub and his partner Selena in 2015 the message in Generation Rent still holds true today. The decline of home ownership has struck at the heart of the Kiwi dream.

House prices may boom or bust but the long-term trend is clear: for more New Zealanders than ever, home ownership is out of reach. Incomes simply have not kept pace with skyrocketing property prices. Generation Rent calls into question priorities at the heart of New Zealand’s identity.

In this BWB Text, Shamubeel and Selena investigate how we ended up here, and what can be done to ensure all New Zealanders – home owners and renters alike – live in affordable and secure housing.

At the time this book was written many of us in regional New Zealand may have considered this ‘an Auckland problem’ and scoffed at the worries of those living so far away in the big city. Never did we imagine that the simple dream of owning, or even renting a home in Hawke's Bay could become so difficult, so out of reach for so many.

This is a short book on a big subject by a great New Zealand writer and thinker. If we are to fix this issue for the coming generations then the ideas in this little book are a good starting point.

Shamubeel spoke recently about Housing and Inequality at the Havelock North Function Centre.

Posted by CC

Catalogue link: Generation Rent