Opinion - The day after New Zealand's first lockdown was announced, I expressed to a senior colleague my concern for those around the country whose livelihoods would suffer as a result.

A substantial class of investors have certainly been made exceptionally wealthy by the Covid-19 response, even as those who work for a living have seen their incomes stagnate.

But while this separation of ‘investors’ or ‘speculators’ from ‘homeowners’ might be politically convenient, it makes something of a false distinction.

Whether a house is owned as a home, or purely a source of income, any non-improvement appreciation in value comes at someone else’s expense.

Until New Zealand acknowledges this, little will change: whoever is in charge, and no matter how many new homes get built.

yeppp renters always on the pointy end of the stick :(