Buying a home in New Zealand just got a lot tougher.

在新西兰购买房屋变得更加困难了。

The country's parliament last Wednesday passed a law banning foreigners from buying into most parts of its residential¹ property market as the government seeks to cool red-hot house prices.

为了给灼热的房价降温，新西兰议会上周三通过了一项法案，禁止市面上大多数住房向外国买家出售。

The Overseas Investment Amendment² Bill will prevent overseas investors³ from purchasing existing properties in New Zealand, but they will still be able to buy into new apartment complexes.

海外投资修订法案将阻止海外投资者购买新西兰现有房产，但他们仍可购买新的公寓大楼。

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern campaigned on a promise to clamp down on foreign buyers, blaming them for soaring prices that have left many New Zealanders unable to enter the property market.

新西兰总理杰辛达·阿德恩在竞选时就曾承诺要打击外国购房者，并指责他们令房价飙升，使得许多新西兰人无法进入房地产市场。

"If you've got the right to live in New Zealand permanently⁴, you've got the right to buy here," Trade Minister David Parker said during a final debate on the bill. "We believe it's the birthright of New Zealanders to buy homes in New Zealand."

贸易部长大卫·帕克在该法案的最终辩论上表示：“如果你有权利永久居住在新西兰，你就有权利在这里买房。我们相信，在新西兰买房是新西兰人与生俱来的权利。”

House prices have almost doubled over the past decade, according to central bank data, and are up more than 5% so far this year. Home ownership rates among New Zealanders have also been falling in recent years.

根据新西兰央行数据，过去十年间，新西兰的房价几乎翻了一番，今年迄今为止涨幅超过5%。近年来，新西兰人的自置居所率也在下降。

But government data suggests that foreign buyers actually only make up a small part of the country's housing market. According to the latest official statistics, purchasers who don't hold New Zealand citizenship⁵ or residency make up less than 3% of total transactions.

但是政府数据显示，外国买家实际上只占该国住房市场的一小部分。根据最新官方数据显示，没有新西兰公民身份或居住权的购买者占总交易量的比例不到3%。