Comparisons between house prices in Auckland and Brisbane have left some social media users fuming.
A post on Reddit over the weekend shared two examples of properties for sale for roughly the same price in the two cities, revealing vastly different options.
The Brisbane house, which was on sale for "offers over AU$699,000" (roughly NZ$750,000), showed a home with four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two-car garage set on a sprawling 2250 square metres of land.
Photos show the house also has a swimming pool, an outdoor eating area and is surrounded by "lush established gardens".
The house is located in Karana Downs, around 40 minutes' drive from downtown Brisbane.
In comparison, the Auckland property, which is marketed as "an utterly unique opportunity" offers would-be buyers a more stripped-back option.
"Get the garage and build the house!" a Trade Me ad for the property is titled.
Located in Oratia, Waitakere City, the 512sqm ("more or less") site already has a large garage constructed on it, but is sold without a house.
"There are covenants in place to ensure that this will be a high quality and desirable place to live. In zone and walking distance to Oratia School and kindergarten, close to amenities and all that this beautiful part of Waitakere has to offer," the ad states.
It seems Reddit users weren't entirely convinced by the utterly unique opportunity, however, suggesting the comparison shows just how "obscene" New Zealand's housing crisis has become.
"How long until our best and brightest f*** right off to Australia when the borders open?" the original Reddit poster wrote.
"Honestly, this just shocks the hell out of me. How do we put up with this, as a nation? It's obscene," another person added.
Despite the similarities in price though, some commenters thought it wasn't fair to compare Auckland property prices with those in Brisbane, pointing out a comparison between Auckland and Sydney would be more realistic.
Others noted that although prices in Brisbane may be cheaper for the time being, it was quickly becoming more expensive to live there.
"To anyone wanting to actually move here and get in the property market move fast," one person wrote.
"There is no time to waste. Brisbane and the Gold Coast are getting more pricey, as people such as myself are leaving Sydney because the pricing in housing is NUTS!!"
Earlier this year the Government introduced a suite of new housing measures aimed at stemming New Zealand's housing crisis, with a particular focus on tilting the market away from investors and towards first-home owners.
But despite the measures, prices continue to skyrocket. In April the average asking price in Auckland was $1,074,550 - an 11 percent increase compared to April 2020 and a new record for the region.
According to a 9 News report earlier this year the average house price in Brisbane was AU$616,387.
Speaking on the The AM Show on Tuesday, Finance Minister Grant Roberston said successive governments - both Labour and National - hadn't built enough houses in the past 10 to 15 years and the country "didn't plan properly" in terms of housing a growing population.
He said it would take a "considerable time" to turn the situation around.
