Why Whanganui is Thinking Smaller (and Why That’s a Good Thing)

Four Townhouses Rising on Niblett Street

It’s a question we hear often at Venture Build: “Who would actually want to live in a home that’s so small?”

We get it. For decades, the “Kiwi Dream” was synonymous with a sprawling quarter-acre block and a four-bedroom house. But times are changing. Data from Statistics NZ shows a clear, long-term trend: new home floor areas have been shrinking since 2010. Nationally, the average floor area for new builds has dropped by over 20% in the last decade, and we are now seeing the trend upwards for smaller footprint homes.

Mathieson Street Triplex

Meeting the Need: From Retirees to Professionals

The “why” behind this shift is simple: our population is evolving. We are seeing two major groups driving the demand for a smaller footprint:

• The Aging Population: Late last year, we invited local councilors to tour our latest triplex on Mathieson Street. The feedback from Whanganui’s older generation was eye-opening. We heard they simply cannot find high-quality, low-maintenance housing that suits their needs. Without these options, some are being squeezed out of the Whanganui market entirely, forced to move away from their communities just to find a home.
• Young Professionals: The script has flipped for the younger generation. With many starting families later in life, the priority has shifted from “maximum bedrooms” to “maximum lifestyle.” For many, they want healthy, compliant, and affordable homes that don’t require every weekend to be spent on lawn maintenance and DIY repairs.

A smaller footprint isn’t just about saving space; it’s for some, about better living. Projects like our completed Mathieson Street triplex and our current builds on Niblett Street, and Puriri Street prove that there is an appetite for this style of housing, and feedback from the community has been positive. The fact that these units are snapped up and rented almost immediately shows just how much Whanganui needs this type of stock.

Cladding Underway At Puriri Street Triplex

While your larger houses are still popular in Whanganui, it isn’t a “need” for everyone. By providing smart, compact, and high-quality housing, we aren’t just building units; we’re helping people stay in the city they love, in homes that actually work for them.