Does anyone doubt who is to blame for the ‘mad hatter' prices of Auckland homes. Homegrown investors and overseas buyers have had a field day; but then, why wouldn't they?

Caring Aucklanders with family will now feel obligated to help their sons and daughters purchase a home. Large mortgages spell risk!

Higher prices have eroded the value of money. What should cost $1, now costs $3. The often quoted rate of inflation or CPI is a convenient joke! It takes in some items; but not the spiralling cost of a roof over one's head. If included in full: where would the rate of inflation be?

Building more houses will help, as would a reduced and more selective immigration policy.

Ours is a land of natural build assets. Timber, steel roofing, metal, cement and a few bricks. It is also a country where land banking and housing speculation is rife. New home builds for overseas buyers and a five-year retention period for others would have helped for sure. Instead the stable doors have been left wide open!

National's Home Start Scheme that started on April 1, 2015, provides grants up to $10,000 for existing and $20,000 for new builds. On August 1, 2016, income caps increased from $80,000 to $85,000 for singles and from $120,000 to $130,000 for couples. Mostly reactive - nothing proactive. Savers devastated.

Dolly was the first sheep to be cloned. Do any senior cabinet ministers remind you of Dolly?

J Trounson, Pyes Pa.