There's several possible reasons behind a rise in the number of homes empty on Census night. 

The latest data shows just more than 110 thousand homes were empty, up from just under 100 thousand in 2018. 

Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says part of that could be due to Cyclone Gabrielle flood levels, and high levels of construction.  

He told Ryan Bridge that some of the biggest areas with the largest increase in “ghost homes” were Auckland, Gisborne, and Hawke’s Bay. 

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