Mark Simmonds who, with his wife Bronwyn Paul, runs a wedding and event venue in a renovated Edwardian building in Wanganui, can no longer get insurance cover for earthquake damage.

Kingsland property owner Pam Willis says insurance premiums may reach the point where owners start tearing down commercial buildings.

Cantabrians would be helped into driving post-earthquake recovery if Labour returned to Government, party leader David Shearer vowed today.

Challenging a $337,000 payout to repair a Christchurch home by lodging a $900,000 claim means the case will be "impossible to resolve", a court heard today.

The Government is proposing building owners strengthen earthquake-prone buildings within the next 15 years so that by 2028, we will be much safer if another major quake strikes.

Affordability is a huge issue for small businesses and building owners, Mr Gudgeon says. "Strengthening is a cost burden - with no return".

Some of New Zealand's historic buildings are about to be hit by a multibillion-dollar bombshell, as the Government forces their strengthening, experts claim.

Confusion surrounds the ability of body corporates of leaky buildings to claim GST refunds, as the Inland Revenue seems reluctant to have its decisions in two leading cases stand as precedents.

Building a house can be an ugly process. Building firms fail faster than Taylor Swift updates her paramours.

Former American FBI special agent turned New Zealand DIY hardware chain boss John Hartmann is leaving Mitre 10.

Fletcher Building engineers are assessing Mainzeal Property & Construction sites and the company hopes to finish some of the 40 jobs and employ subcontractors and some members of Mainzeal's 400 staff.

Another company linked to Dame Jenny Shipley is under pressure and may be forced to stop operating by September if it cannot meet new Reserve Bank requirements.

SkyCity asked for taxpayers to pay for the marketing and promotion of the international convention centre, but the Government ruled it out.

SkyCity got special treatment in its pitch to build the international convention centre - but nothing which will get in the way of a formal deal being struck.

If work on Mainzeal Property and Construction's sites is frozen for another six weeks, national construction activity could be depressed by up to 3 per cent, says an economist.

Fletcher Building chief executive Mark Adamson could slice costs by $75 million, as the construction giant tries to pare back spending to bolster its bottom line.

Walkers and cyclists are jubilant at winning Auckland Council committee support yesterday for a harbour bridge pathway, but face another workout before a final council sign-off.

A High Court judge has stepped down from hearing the case of three men associated with Dominion Finance.

Prime Minister John Key has given his qualified support to Jenny Shipley remaining chair of the soon-to-be-listed power company Genesis.

Maurice Williamson says if a potential conflict of interest arose in his portfolio, he would order officials not to give him the relevant papers, writes John Armstrong.

The trial of three men associated with the collapsed firm Dominion Finance was adjourned just after lunch yesterday for reasons the Herald is prohibited from reporting.

Auckland's critical housing shortage worsened again last year - but the gap between population growth and house-building may be closing at last.

An out-of-pocket Mainzeal Property and Construction subcontractor estimates the builder could record $50 million to $100 million of losses.

John Key approved the Construction Minster's directorship of a company involved with Mainzeal but says any concerns about possible conflicts of interest are a "beat-up".

Waikato town planners are bracing for an overflow of Aucklanders from the Super City as it seeks to find living space for its booming population.

Mainzeal employees reacted with shock and anger to the news that around 200 staff had been made redundant in an effort to reduce costs.