https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/pro...to-build-cheap
This seems to confirm what I've read on this forum for awhile. The idea that houses are only supposed to last 50 years, though? Hm.
We haven't really come face-to-face with this yet. But I do recall when we visited 10 years ago and went to some open house showings in Wellington, we were disappointed that even the most expensive new build was still single-glazed and looked difficult to keep warm. Even if that's the only issue, that will certainly contribute to damp. Of course that was 2007, supposedly during a peak of shoddy building according to the article, but I still get the impression that insulation, weathertightness, and heating your house to the point where it can dry out is not common in NZ due to the expense of all three.
We're about to move from one 2-month rental in Nelson to a 2-month stint in New Plymouth. The houses, locales and heating situations are quite different, so we might start to feel the Kiwi lifestyle a bit more!