If you’ve ever spent time worrying about affordable housing, leaky homes, independent living for the elderly, the cost of building, the cost of renting, the barriers to owning a first home and associated topics, you’re not alone. Believe it or not, this interview provides the answer to all of these issues - and more.
Sam Stubbs is the co-founder of Simplicity - one of New Zealand’s fastest growing KiwiSaver plans. What you’re about to hear from Sam is positive and utterly encouraging. Simplicity is a nonprofit Kiwisaver and Fund Manager that gives 15% of all fees to charity and invests with a conscience. What Simplicity is doing under the leadership of Sam and his colleagues, is remarkable.
Simplicity aims to provide 10,000 homes for rent, currently building at a rate of 1,000 homes per year. Their homes are built to last 150 years, using durable materials like brick and concrete, and are priced at $550,000 each.
Simplicity's model is vertically integrated, reducing costs by 30-35% and offering long-term tenancy. They also provide low-cost mortgages, saving borrowers an average of 1% annually.
Buckle in for some answers to the housing crisis!
Time codes and topics
01:37 Introduction to Simplicity
05:13 The problems with the New Zealand housing market, and the opportunity this brings
11:13 The importance of trust
12:35 Focussing on quality housing which will last for 100 years or more
18:00 Vertical integration
23:59 Open sourcing this for others to copy
33:42 The same problem right around the country
36:10 The NZ dream of home ownership
40:57 How this works for retirees
48:19 Applying the vertical integration model to other problems
Useful links
Sam Stubbs on LinkedIn - here
Simplicity’s website - here
Simplicity Living - here
“KiwiSaver provider Simplicity to build 264 homes in build-to-rent development in Morningside” - NZ Herald - 7 February 2025 - here
“Construction of 300 build-to-rent houses in Remuera set to begin” - Radio New Zealand 28 October 2024 - here
“Simplicity completes development with 48 inflation-pegged rentals” Stuff 24 July 2023 - here
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