Builder Shane Brealey is selling his 83.2 per cent stake in NZ Strong to Amalgamated Builders' executive chairman Chris Hunter.

Community housing groups want the Auckland Council to underwrite "housing bonds" worth $30 million to kick start more than 200 new homes for low-income families.

Wall art, planters and anything from a vintage junk shop featured on The Block NZ have been selling out as fans of the show take inspiration from - or outright mimic - the reality home renovation show contestants.

Finance Minister Bill English says rising land values in Auckland caused by planning constraints have made it "illegal to build a house under half a million dollars".

An Auckland-based building society is accused of making "deceptive" statements about a fund it manages and claims it holds US$6.2 billion of assets.

Labour's finance spokesman David Parker this morning jibed that Act-held Epsom should be used to trial that party's policy of abolishing the Resource Management Act.

It's Economics 101. When demand rises and supply does not, prices will rise. If demand rises at the same rate as supply, prices will stay the same.

Changes are afoot at Mt Wellington's new 107-unit Thompson Park housing estate after the former main lender was replaced some weeks ago.

Tony Gapes is set to take back control of New Zealand's most intensive affordable housing project after receivers last night confirmed the property developer has settled a company debt.

A proposed agreement between local and central Government will pave the way for an extra 7000 homes to be built in Wellington over the next five years.

Wayne Young became a casualty of the leaky homes crisis after an apartment he bought in 1999. When he disputed the repair bill, legal costs forced him into bankruptcy.

A 20ha block of land at Hobsonville set aside for the marine industry will now be used for housing after a vote by Auckland councillors today.

The Government is winding down its home insulation programme as part of Budget cuts leaving 600,000 homes across New Zealand uninsulated, Labour says.

Aspiring first-home buyers looking for a leg-up into the property market in yesterday's Budget had little to cheer about.

Gains in hospitality and consumables offset falling apparel purchases, as an accelerating economy continues to underpin household confidence.

Building consents for residential housing rose to a six-and-a-half year high in March, snapping two months of decline.

New Zealand spending growth on credit and debit cards stalled in March, as a decline in expenditure on fuel and clothing offset gains for food and liquor.

New Zealand building consents for residential housing fell 1.7 percent in February, the second straight monthly decline.

Around $47,000 could be shaved off the cost of each new place built in factories under Labour's planned KiwiBuild 100,000-house scheme, an opposition spokesman says.

New Zealanders spent more on their credit and debit cards in February, fuelled by spending on hospitality

Building activity slowed in the final three months of 2013 as non-residential work dropped for a second quarter.

New Zealand building consents for residential housing rose 7.6% in December, taking the annual level of new permits to a six-year high.

A boost in new apartment consents led to an 11 per cent rise in the number of new dwellings consented in November 2013, according to Statistics NZ.

The house-building sector's rising fortunes have taken a tumble, with the latest Statistics New Zealand data showing the rate of increase slipping.