In 2023, the media in Australia and around the world became enamoured by research claiming that ‘upzoning’ planning changes introduced in Auckland in 2016 had resulted in a building boom and lower home prices and rents.
I showed at the time that the research was inaccurate because it used a “biased sample” to skew the results. Dr Cameron Murray did the same on his Fresh Economic Thinking website (see here and here).
The research also conveniently omitted that a large number of Kiwis fled to other cities to escape the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. As a result, the population of Auckland and ergo rents fell:
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