Average house size by age

The average size of a house in New Zealand, based on floor area, is 149 square metres. This has generally increased over time, with houses built recently being over 50% larger than houses built in 1900. Based on the decade built, houses had an average floor area of just under 132 square metres in 1900, while houses built since 2010 are on average 205 square metres.

House sizes were relatively stable up until the 1930s and 1940s when the depression and war led to slightly smaller houses being built. Since the 1950s house sizes have steadily increased, with particularly rapid growth between the 1980 and 2010. There is little difference across the country with most of the main centres showing a very similar pattern.

With some areas not having many houses prior to the 1940’s, and building activity slow since 2010, to compare between all areas we can look at the change in house size between the 1940s and the 2000’s.

The areas that have increased the most since 1940 tend to be those which would formerly have been small rural areas or holiday destinations, but are now fringe areas where people commute to larger centres, for example Kaiapoi, Rolleston and Rangiora near Christchurch, and the Kapiti Coast. Otherwise it is former holiday destinations that have grown into more substantial centres on their own, supporting local families or attracting larger holiday homes (for example Hanmer Springs in Hurunui District, and Taupo).

The area with the least growth since the 1940’s is Ruapehu District. While the towns of Taumarunui and Raetihi have seen house sizes grow modestly, in Ohakune the properties have stayed more or less the same size since 1940’s, probably reflecting that they are primarily small holiday homes. In the South Waikato, Hauraki and Kawerau Districts towns such as Tokoroa, Tirau, Waihi, Paeroa and Kawerau have houses that have grown in size only modestly. Similarly in Buller where the main towns of Westport and Reefton have seen only slight increases in the size of houses since the 1940s.