The Reading / Listening - Home Buyers - Level 4

New Zealand is banning foreigners from buying houses. The ban will start in early 2018. The ban is to tackle the housing crisis. For the past decade, overseas buyers have been buying houses as investments. This has increased demand, which has increased house prices by over 50 per cent in ten years. New Zealanders are angry they have to pay more to buy a home. Many are priced out of the market. They cannot get on the housing ladder.

The government wants to stop overseas investors increasing house prices and make it easier for Kiwis to buy a home. It said: "We are stopping foreign speculators buying houses and driving up prices." Overseas investors will still be able to buy land to build homes on. The government stated: "Our position has always been that if you're adding to supply…then you will be able to build." It hopes the ban will "take some of the heat" out of the house market.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Home Buyers - Level 5 or  Home Buyers - Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.reuters.com/article/us-newzealand-politics-housing/new-zealand-pm-says-ban-on-foreign-home-buyers-to-start-early-2018-idUSKBN1D00AR?il=0
  • http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/342781/foreign-home-buyers-to-be-banned-pm
  • https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-31/new-zealand-to-slap-home-buying-ban-on-foreigners-to-ease-market


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. banning foreigners
  2. tackle the housing
  3. buying houses as
  4. increased house
  5. by over 50 per cent
  6. pay more to
  7. Many are priced out of
  8. They cannot get on the housing
  1. investments
  2. the market
  3. in ten years
  4. ladder
  5. from buying houses
  6. prices
  7. crisis
  8. buy a home

Paragraph 2

  1. The government wants to
  2. overseas
  3. make it easier for Kiwis
  4. We are stopping foreign speculators
  5. driving up
  6. buy land to
  7. adding to
  8. take some of the heat out of
  1. to buy a home
  2. build homes on
  3. buying houses
  4. the house market
  5. investors
  6. supply
  7. stop
  8. prices

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

New Zealand is banning foreigners from buying houses. The (1) ___________________ in early 2018. The ban is to tackle the housing crisis. For (2) ___________________, overseas buyers have been buying houses as investments. (3) ___________________ demand, which has increased house prices by over 50 per cent (4) ___________________. New Zealanders are angry they have (5) ___________________ to buy a home. Many are priced out of the market. They cannot get on (6) ___________________.

The government (7) ___________________ overseas investors increasing house prices and (8) ___________________ for Kiwis to buy a home. It said: "We are stopping foreign speculators buying houses and (9) ___________________." Overseas investors will still be able to buy land to (10) ___________________. The government stated: "Our position has always been that if you're (11) ___________________ …then you will be able to build." It hopes the ban will "take some (12) ___________________ " out of the house market.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

NewZealandisbanningforeignersfrombuyinghouses.Thebanwillstart
inearly2018.Thebanistotacklethehousingcrisis.Forthepastdecade,o
verseasbuyershavebeenbuyinghousesasinvestments.Thishasincre
aseddemand,whichhasincreasedhousepricesbyover50percentinten
years.NewZealandersareangrytheyhavetopaymoretobuyahome.M
anyarepricedoutofthemarket.Theycannotgetonthehousingladder.T
hegovernmentwantstostopoverseasinvestorsincreasinghouseprice
sandmakeiteasierforKiwistobuyahome.Itsaid:"Wearestoppingforei
gnspeculatorsbuyinghousesanddrivingupprices."Overseasinvestors
willstillbeabletobuylandtobuildhomeson.Thegovernmentstated:"Ou
rpositionhasalwaysbeenthatifyou'readdingtosupply…thenyouwillbe
abletobuild."Ithopesthebanwill"takesomeoftheheat"outofthehouse
market.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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