Guidance
Where to find reliable information?
The Tiny Home Industry is a fast developing industry for which the current rules and regulations in New Zealand are not specifically designed. There are initiatives across the industry actively working with various national and local bodies to help clarify some of the more confusing aspects to enable the industry to have the significant impact on the housing crises, it has the potential to have.
Taking the need and variety of options into consideration, it is an area where change is rapidly happening and staying on top of the latest news, rules and developments can be a challenge. It is also important to note that there is a distinct lack of national standards to cover the various configurations of homes, fierce competition amongst companies and as such, misinformation is rampant! The entities and agencies referenced below operate across the whole industry and look after the interest of all, as opposed to any particular tiny house building company. They provide a good overview of the most current information available regarding tiny homes in New Zealand.
MBIE, the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment released a guidance paper for tiny homes. This guidance paper is used by Councils when applications are submitted.
Landshare NZ is a website on which tiny home owners and land owners can post advertisements to connect demand with supply. Many tiny home owners have successfully found the ideal place for their home using this site. Please do your own due diligence on people and places and check references!
The Tiny House Hub is an informative online publication with a raft of resources that anyone looking at going tiny, would find helpful. Join for free and have all the most up to date information at your finger tips.
NZTA has specific requirements for moving your tiny home. It is useful to be aware of these regulations as it will greatly impact the transport costs of your home. If your tiny home is not on a road-legal trailer and requires a pilot vehicle, or must be transported on the back of a truck, this will add multiple thousands to the transport costs. Transport costs will also impact resale value.
