Better in what sense? Miniature houses are fine but are simply different in a lot of ways compared to apartments. They offer more privacy and space at the expense of, well, expense: apartments are unit-for-unit cheaper to build and cheaper to provide infrastructure for.
How would separate houses be better? More to maintain.
I'd take more maintanence for simple lines of ownership any day. A line in the ground with everything on one side being mine. As far as I can tell, appartment body corps can be a political nightmare and contractors charge a lot for work.
Is this because New Zealand hasn't got a long history of apartments or is it difficult everywhere?
Even when you're sixty years old?
Especially when I'm 60, because then I will be at the very end of making mortgage payments AND I will out right own a house.
This style of living is probably most popular with the elderly in my area (inner-east melbourne)
It's easy to say when a lot less than that, but hell yes.