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^^ Yup, the National party has changed a lot of rules over since they took office and 'student' numbers have more than quadrupled I believe. Easier English language requirements (you don't even need an IELTS score anymore, come and sit the test in NZ while you study so there's more $$ in the govt. coffers). Students are also allowed to work 20 hours a week and the PTE's have complemented this with offering courses during the weekend so 'students' can work during the week and study over the weekend. So you'll find many commuting to Auckland from the Kiwifruit orchards in the Bay of Plenty where they are paid less than minimum wage and work more than 20 hours. If they're lucky they will score a job at any of the restaurants (such as those in the news recently) as 'managers' and chefs getting paid less than minimum wage but that's okay because the government has also made getting permanent residence easier. Chefs and retail managers are on the skilled migrants shortage list.

There is definitely a reason for the demand for cheap, low quality accommodation and the developers are only responding to it.
 
^^ Yup, the National party has changed a lot of rules over since they took office and 'student' numbers have more than quadrupled I believe. Easier English language requirements (you don't even need an IELTS score anymore, come and sit the test in NZ while you study so there's more $$ in the govt. coffers). Students are also allowed to work 20 hours a week and the PTE's have complemented this with offering courses during the weekend so 'students' can work during the week and study over the weekend. So you'll find many commuting to Auckland from the Kiwifruit orchards in the Bay of Plenty where they are paid less than minimum wage and work more than 20 hours. If they're lucky they will score a job at any of the restaurants (such as those in the news recently) as 'managers' and chefs getting paid less than minimum wage but that's okay because the government has also made getting permanent residence easier. Chefs and retail managers are on the skilled migrants shortage list.

There is definitely a reason for the demand for cheap, low quality accommodation and the developers are only responding to it.
^^^^^^

Student demographics has changed as well
The bulk of new student visa's appear to be coming from India
Most of these new Indian students are going to non university tertiary education
This group is primarily low skilled and are accessing the 20 hour opportunity where possible.

Mind you if there is a need in the low skill low pay area and unemployed Kiwis are to lazy to do it.

Then I say let these Indians go for it
 
CONRAD should be banned from developing anything more! they insist on using that washed up architect for all their projects. They create student hovels aimed at cheap investors on massive chunks of prime land..ARRGHHHH!!! have you noticed all their buildings have the same clumpy lumpy look. Also a recent drive past their queen st development, shocking! the shops they allow to lease the business spaces on the 1st floor are very low end. Nothing like their elegant cafes in the renders. It's so bad I would expect to see rats scurrying past all the boxes and rubbish strewn about the business frontages.
 
You mean it's around ten stories high with a facade of decks and windows therefore it's a communist slum? Can't see any other similarities to your pictures. There won't ever be a row of Skoda 100's parked outside a half basement. I can't see any terracotta tiled mansard roofs proposed.

Can't see how the garden area is 'south facing' either as it must run parallel to street which runs north west to south east. So must get afternoon sun?

Sure Zest may be horrible - it was built 15 years ago under completely different planning rules, has street frontages of blank walls and carparks, has no discernible front door and sub 40sqm 2 bed apartments with internal rooms - but that doesn't mean every 10 level building west of Queen Street is another Zest as the grumpy corner seems to think.


edit: I see Zest was completed in 2005, designed by McDonough, Marshall-Harrington Architects who seem to have closed up in 2010. Neither director is currently an Architect according to NZRAB.
i have to agree that this building will look like a slum in a few years. it's a combination of the design and the relaxed body corp rules, give it 5 years and you will see an array of tin foil curtains, sunflowers and vegetables growing on decks, washing and all manner of junk piled up in windows and decks, and it seems to be these massive eye sores that attract such tenants, look at all the other failures from Conrand, need I mention Vault on queens st??
 
^^ Agreed. This development will easily be the nicest in the immediate vicinity. Pretty tragic I can make that statement for this development. But, to be fair, it's not awful. If this is the near bottom rung of apartment developments for the city now you'd think we are past the bad days of the 00s.
 
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