{"id":7223,"date":"2026-03-27T18:51:36","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T05:51:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madame-dee.com\/?p=7223"},"modified":"2026-03-27T20:14:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T07:14:20","slug":"are-houses-in-new-zealand-made-of-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madame-dee.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/27\/are-houses-in-new-zealand-made-of-paper\/","title":{"rendered":"Are houses in New Zealand made of paper?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Before moving to Christchurch, I once lived in Blenheim with my friend J. It\u2019s a small town about six hours north of Christchurch. We spent a winter there, working the most mind-numbingly boring job in the world\u2014opening mussels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The house we lived in had been built relatively recently, but it was unbearably cold. Even indoors, a chill lingered in the air, forcing us to bundle up in layers from head to toe. The only heating came from a single fan heater in the living room and a small stove in the kitchen. Every morning, getting out from under the blankets felt like a punishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was when I said it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre houses in New Zealand made of paper or what?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hearing that, you might think New Zealand is a brutally cold country. But in reality, the climate here is quite mild. The temperature doesn\u2019t fluctuate drastically throughout the year, and the seasons shift gently. Even in Christchurch, where I live now, summers and winters aren\u2019t extreme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which made it even harder to understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why\u2014why\u2014are New Zealand houses so cold, regardless of the season?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, I thought it was just me. Maybe I had gotten used to the heat after spending two years in Australia before coming here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But then something a coworker said changed my mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P, who had immigrated from Calgary, Canada, had settled in New Brighton. Apparently, living by the beach had been a dream of theirs. Of course, that dream quickly shattered once they experienced the biting sea wind\u2014and the cold houses of New Zealand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBack where I lived, snow would pile up to your head, but inside the house it was always warm. Here, it\u2019s warmer outside than inside!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After hearing that, I came to a conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Zealand houses are cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And naturally, the next question followed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most houses here are built of wood, designed to withstand frequent earthquakes. The problem is, especially in older homes, insulation is often poor. While roof and underfloor insulation are legally required, wall insulation frequently isn\u2019t. Cold air seeps in through those gaps. Many houses still don\u2019t have double glazing, so drafts slip in through the windows. Even with carpet, the damp floors never quite warm up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heating isn\u2019t much better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trying to heat an entire house with a single heater in the living room is nearly impossible. Even if you manage, the electricity bill will make you regret it. And those heaters dry out the air. Add in dust rising from the carpets, and for someone like me\u2014with chronic rhinitis\u2014it\u2019s a nightmare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI miss Korean floor heating so much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I grumbled, my feet freezing even inside thermal socks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I ever buy a house\u2014though that\u2019s unlikely\u2014I\u2019m ripping out all the carpets and installing underfloor heating first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M scoffed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can do underfloor heating here too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen why doesn\u2019t anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause the power bill would be insane.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then he added:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo just wear slippers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hate covering my feet!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I pouted, for no real reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, it all comes down to one thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Money, money, money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With enough money, you can fix insulation, upgrade heating, and improve your quality of life. But the more you grind your life away to earn that money, the less time you have to actually live it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a time when I worked 45 hours a week, saving as much as I could. I could afford most things I wanted. I could run the heater without worrying about the bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I was always exhausted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when I did have free time, I spent it sleeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As \u201cmy time\u201d disappeared, so did my satisfaction with life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when I realized:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever you gain something, you inevitably lose something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life in New Zealand flows as it is\u2014whether you have much or little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So instead of obsessing over discomfort, I\u2019ve chosen to accept it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, I\u2019m sitting in front of my laptop wearing a T-shirt, shorts, a cardigan, and thick sleep socks. They said a storm was coming, and the air is a bit chilly\u2014but it\u2019s manageable with warm socks and a sweater. Rather than complaining about what I don\u2019t have, I choose to make do with what I do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a way, I\u2019m slowly reaching a state of having nothing\u2014and needing nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s March now. Summer is fading, and autumn is settling in. Winter is coming soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By now, I\u2019m used to preparing for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I take out the winter blankets, the thick clothes, and the small heater. And, without a doubt, the best source of warmth all year round is M\u2014who seems to radiate heat endlessly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Of course, M absolutely hates it when my freezing hands and feet touch him.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In these paper-thin houses, I\u2019m learning, little by little, how to become stronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A life that once began with nothing has, over time, filled up with many things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slowly\u2014but surely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So now I know:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the unpredictable cold of this place\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can endure it, in my own way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though, if I\u2019m being honest, my favorite method is still this\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

slipping my icy hands and feet against M\u2019s side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019ll let out an annoyed scream, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, well\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll forgive me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Before moving to Christchurch, I once lived in Blenheim with my friend J. It\u2019s a small town about six hours north of Christchurch. We spent a winter there, working the most mind-numbingly boring job in the world\u2014opening mussels. The house we lived in had been built relatively recently, but it was unbearably cold. Even indoors, … Continue reading Are houses in New Zealand made of paper?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7220,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[96,92,82,94,91,86,93],"class_list":["post-7223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-in-wonderland","tag-christchurch","tag-daily-life","tag-essay","tag-korean","tag-life","tag-madam-d","tag-new-zealand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madame-dee.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madame-dee.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madame-dee.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madame-dee.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madame-dee.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7223"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/madame-dee.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7223\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7270,"href":"https:\/\/madame-dee.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7223\/revisions\/7270"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madame-dee.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madame-dee.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madame-dee.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madame-dee.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}