WELLINGTON, July 4 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Minister for Housing and Urban Development Phil Twyford said on Wednesday that more than 5,950 registrations of interest had been received from Kiwis wanting a KiwiBuild home, the state-backed affordable home building program.

Twyford announced the opening of KiwiBuild registrations and the eligibility criteria for KiwiBuild buyers at the BuildNZ KiwiBuild Summit, which brought together industry leaders from across the building, planning, property, manufacturing and development sector to discuss KiwiBuild.

From Wednesday, aspiring homeowners can register their interest in a KiwiBuild home. At one point the KiwiBuild Unit was receiving 15 registrations a minute, the minister said, adding that KiwiBuild will be "the game changer our residential housing sector needs."

All eligible buyers will have an equal chance to own a KiwiBuild home at cost price through a ballot system, he said.

The eligibility criteria for KiwiBuild home buyers include those with income below 120,000 NZ dollars (81,133 U.S. dollars) for sole purchasers and 180,000 NZ dollars (121,700 U.S. dollars) for couples.

"We know that New Zealanders at and below these incomes are struggling to buy a home, especially in high demand areas such as Auckland and Queenstown," Twyford said.?