Abstract:

A research project which has been underway for three years looks at the way in which the New Zealand local government's planning and management influences housing, urban land management and the provision of social services. The ways in which householders shape and decorate their homes are often influenced by messages and images found in the popular media. Part of the research includes an interpretation of the relationship between popular print media and New Zealand's houses and homes. The researchers have found that a significant number of people have been affected by economic restructuring which has radically changed the shape of the housing industry, local authority management and urban planning.