A major construction company involved in the Christchurch rebuild says it uses migrant workers because it they are cheaper than local builders.

Fletcher Developments wants new houses to be taller than the Auckland Council is proposing.

A giraffe house, art gallery, Grey Lynn shops and apartment building are in the running for a top international architectural award.

A man who claims his lawyer friend doubled his bill for help resolving a leaky homes dispute says his memory of what happened was clouded by chemotherapy.

A lawyer is facing a disciplinary tribunal after he charged his golf buddy more than $1 million to help sort out legal problems created by his leaky Remuera home.

Builders are laying off staff and say they face economic ruin in Christchurch because insurance companies and Fletcher EQR are taking too long to approve earthquake work.

Fletcher Building is making a big push into Auckland's apartment development market, forming specialist new division Fletcher Developments this year to hunt down opportunities on big sites.

The owners of properties in Auckland's leaky Chancery shopping complex have won $3.4 million for repairs, now about halfway through.

Councillors are bracing themselves for a dressing down by government ministers over Christchurch City Council's failure to retain accreditation for building consents.

Stripping the Christchurch council of its building consent authority is drastic, but made by an objective authority. And other councils should take note.

Building bosses have welcomed the Government's $10 billion Auckland infrastructure plans, saying their sector is in recovery mode.

Bronwyn Sell finds Christchurch was the logical place to set the latest series of the popular home renovation series.

The University of Auckland is about to shake up the neighbourhood when staff and students move into Newmarket next year - but neighbours won't feel a thing.

"The market" can't fix Auckland's housing crisis, writes John Minto. Instead, a capital gains tax is the most important step to drive property investors out.

Auckland Council is misrepresenting the height of the proposed $7.8 million Devonport library building, says Tony Koia.

The building sector is expecting a rise in fortunes as the economy recovers and the Canterbury rebuild gets into full swing about 2016.

High council fees have contributed significantly to Auckland's rising house prices, a new report says.

Four new Auckland hotels are planned, three of which are office building conversions.

Some of the most expensive places in which to build in New Zealand are not the big cities with highest demand and dearest house prices.

Lockwood's third generation says sticking to what they do best is working.

The house-building sector is experiencing its biggest surge in more than a decade as demand for new places.

The biggest residential building boost in a decade will not make a big dent in Auckland's housing woes, but is a step in the right direction, an economist says.