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Story: Housing and government

Napier Group Building Scheme

Video file

In the early 1950s the government set up the Group Building Scheme to encourage the construction of new suburban homes. It took the risk out of speculative building by promising to buy unsold homes from the companies registered in the scheme. Many builders signed up. The scheme was also popular with house buyers. House plans were approved by the government, making it easier to secure loan finance, and buyers were reassured that their home was built by a reputable builder. This clip shows a Group Building Scheme in Napier.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: Pictorial Parade 28. National Film Unit, 1954

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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How to cite this page

Ben Schrader, Housing and government – A property-owning democracy, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/32447/napier-group-building-scheme (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Ben Schrader, published 13 October 2011.