JOHN BISSET/STUFF Sue Boyce was unable to afford home ownership after her divorce, but is now happy living in a tiny house she and her son built. He described Christchurch’s new housing as “small, small, and getting smaller” as homebuyers and investors made decisions “driven by affordability”. Another factor was smaller household sizes, he said. The downsizing trend was also evident in subdivisions where smaller free-standing homes were going in. Statistics NZ data showed the average size of new homes approved in Christchurch last year was just 127 square metres, down from more than 180sqm a decade ago. Units consented in the city last year averaged 79sqm, and freestanding houses averaged 177sqm, down from 186sqm the year before. Houses in Selwyn were an average 185sqm, down from 190sqm in 2019.