My apologies, last months newsletter went out without an introduction piece from me. The frustrating part is that I did do one, I simply forgot to download it and of course by the time the newsletter was distributed it was too late!!!

We are fast approaching the festive season, carols are on the airwaves, decorations and lights adorn houses and shops and of course all the junk mail deliveries are full of all sorts of seasonal specials. Like everyone we are busy trying to get things completed before the Christmas break but at present we are very much at the whim of the lenders. They are also under significant pressure and we can see them concentrating on those applications with settlement dates looming which of course is compounded by the fact that the period between 22^nd December and 8^th Jan 2019 is not classified as working days in terms of sales and purchase contracts. Don’t we love this maddening time of year!!!

A very short intro this month, whilst we may not be in the office over the Christmas New Year period, phones will be diverted to cell and emails will still be operating. Any queries just contact we will be around just trying to avoid the chaos of central Queenstown if we get the chance. To all our clients many thanks for your business over the past year, we look forward to continuing to be of service, just let us know how we can help. We trust you have a joyous Christmas and that you have the opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends. Come back in the New Year refreshed and ready for the challenges of 2019.

Cheers

Charlie & Michelle

New Zealand's collective household wealth has soared in value over the past decade, thanks mostly to an increase in the value of property assets. According to Statistics New Zealand, the net worth of New Zealand households rose from $886 billion in 2007 to $1.5 trillion today, a jump of 69 percent. Kiwis are not feeling the direct effects of these riches, however, with wealth tied up in real estate and pension funds, household debt levels high, savings rates low, and the distribution curve far from equal.

The end of a historic tax break for New Zealand landlords could have unintended negative consequences for tenants. While stopping the tax break on loss-making rental properties has been designed to even the playing field between investors and first-home buyers, costs are likely to get passed down to tenants. If the situation does improve for first-home buyers as a result of the changes, renters may also be adversely affected due to a decrease in the amount of affordable housing stock. 

Home sizes are shrinking across the western world, with rising populations, apartment living, and increasing prices putting renewed pressure on the size of the family home. While smaller houses are not necessarily cheaper, they do provide people with more choice in overheated property markets. Rather than seeing shrinking homes as a negative consequence of unsustainable population growth, people are embracing the trend for high quality, high density homes that just happen to have a smaller footprint.

Some people wake at the crack of dawn to exercise, with others waiting until after work in the late afternoon or evening. While exercise is great at any time of the day, it seems our internal body clocks can have a huge effect on the amount of calories that we burn. Finding the perfect time for your fitness regime is part art and part science, with each person needing to match their personal preferences with universal circadian rhythms and innate human physiology.

The recent death of an American missionary on a remote Indian island has brought the world's untouched tribes into the spotlight. Commonly referred to as uncontacted or lost tribes, this small group of indigenous peoples face numerous threats from the outside world. There are currently thought to be around 100 tribes living completely cut-off from modern civilisation. Most of the tribes live deep in the Amazon rainforest, with others existing in the Congo, the mountains of New Guinea, and islands off the coast of India.