The Star: March 26, 2020

estate market?
Canterbury also recorded an
all-time high median house price
with a 4.2 per cent increase to
$474,000 up from $455,000. The
average for asking price for a
house in Canterbury also reached
record heights
last month,
with the
average of
$520,789 a
4.1 per cent
increase from
last year.
Dominick
Stephens
Said REINZ
chief executive
Bindi
Norwell: “For
two months in a row now we’ve
seen every region in the country
experience annual median price
increases, showing a continuation
of the price
growth we
started to see
just before
Christmas.
With strong
demand
across the
country it’s
Tom Coupe
highly likely
we’ll see these
price rises continue in March unless
the economy takes a sudden
hit from Covid-19.”
However, earlier this month,
Westpac chief economist
Dominick Stephens said the main
impact of the pandemic would be
felt in the second quarter of this
year.
“The currently rampant
housing market is likely to skid to
a halt, with price growth slowing
sharply in the June quarter,” he
said.
Canterbury University
associate professor Tom Coupe
also believed the uncertainty
around the virus in New Zealand
would slow down spending.
“Such uncertainty is likely
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
RISE AND FALL?: Last month, Canterbury recorded an
all-time high median house price with a 4.2 per cent
increase to $474,000 up from $455,000.
to reduce the amount of
transactions as buyers will
delay their purchase if they
can, and sellers, expecting less
demand, will do the same. So
real estate agencies who rely on
commissions are likely to see a
substantial drop in revenues,” he
said.
“While the number of
transactions is likely to decline
fast, price declines are usually
much slower to appear and if they
happen, more limited.”
• By Jess Gibson
GUINEA PIGS Ghost, Wolf
and Fang were among 109
lucky animals to find homes in
Christchurch yesterday before the
lockdown was introduced.
Laura Dibben took in her
three new furry friends on Monday,
after the SPCA put out an “urgent
call” for adoption last week in
response to the Covid-19 outbreak.
SPCA’s Christchurch Centre in
Hornby was cleared out by yesterday
morning, and a number of
people missed out after queuing
up for about two hours.
Ms Dibben said she and her partner
had room in their hearts and
NEWS 5
Queues at SPCA
home for another three buddies.
SPCA general manager of
marketing and fundraising
Dominique Leeming said it was
“heartwarming” to have all animals
including birds, cats, dogs
and horses adopted out.
She was confident staff had
done their best to ensure owners
would take care of their new pets
appropriately both during and
after the lockdown period.
For those who missed out, the
SPCA is working on a plan to
safely foster out animals over the
next four weeks and will keep
people informed through its
Facebook page.
Rest homes stay active
• By Matt Slaughter
CHRISTCHURCH retirement
villages and rest homes are doing
their bit to keep residents positive
through the lockdown period.
People aged more than 70 are
most at risk of Covid-19 but efforts
are being made to lift residents’
spirits and keep them occupied.
Windsorcare Shirley diversional
therapist Angela Drummond
said efforts are being made
to make life as normal as possible
for its residents under the circumstances.
“We’re just trying to go on as
normal, like, try and keep it completely
as normal as we can and
still continue to do the in-house
Thursday March 26 2020 The Star
activities that we have available.
“We’re continuing with our
exercises and our housie and our
floor games and just everything
really as normal. We can still
take them out in the van but we
can’t go out, of course.
Jeremy Nicoll, the chief
financial officer of Arvida
Group, which runs 10 retirement
facilities in Christchurch said:
“What we’re trying to do is to
give innovative ways to obviously
keep peoples’ minds occupied,
keep them active, keeping them
fed well.”
Residents are being helped to
make Skype calls and encouraged
to write letters, he said.
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