Minister opens factory that pre-builds $190k homes

Deputy Prime Minister Bill English cutting the ribbon on a Matrix modular home at the factory's official opening in Upper Hutt. Photo / Mark Mitchell

A housing factory that pre-builds three-bedroom houses for $190,000 was opened by Finance Minister Bill English in Wellington today.

His visit to Matrix Homes in Trentham was meant to highlight solutions to the shortage of affordable housing.

The company's homes are built in modules so they can be added together to make any size house.

Daniel Haarhoff, 28, and Shannon Musaphia, 24, have just bought a pre-built four-bedroom home for $195,000.

It is made up of a pair of two-bedroom modules, and will soon be moved to their section in Whitby, Wellington.

The modules are completed at the factory and then joined together on site.

Ms Musaphia already owns an investment property but Mr Haarhoff is a first time buyer.

"We have looked at all the options possible with these guys you get an architecturally designed house, you get four bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living areas, good kitchen, double garage ... for exactly what we wanted to pay.

"For $400,000 and $500,000 existing houses you really get nothing -- with this you get a brand new house for the same price," said Mr Haarhoff.

The factory currently made 350 modules each year, but the number of modules produced could be increased to 2000 if demand was high.

Mr English said he hoped the roll-out of these modules would mean more access to affordable new homes.

"One of the things that happened in New Zealand over the last 30 years is that the proportion of our total new housing in the lower cost bracket has dropped very rapidly.

"In parts of New Zealand like the North Shore and Auckland no affordable housing has been built in 10 years."

He said too many new homes across New Zealand were selling for anywhere from $500,000 or more.

"It's just too big a burden for our low and middle income families ... It's not fair and it deprives them of the opportunity to own their own homes."

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