A "ruckus" caused by a 60-year-old state house tenant who refused to move has helped to postpone new housing development in part of Glen Innes.

What took hold of Nick Smith when he claimed the Resource Management Act added $30 billion to housing costs and stopped 40,000 new houses in the past decade?

Property developers say the failure to quickly resolve Auckland's housing crisis is not their fault - lack of infrastructure is one of the biggest impediments to more building.

Auckland's first house-building factory is being planned for Pokeno and could produce components for two-and-a-half houses a day.

Housing Minister Nick Smith and Auckland Mayor Len Brown are talking up the first year of the Auckland Housing Accord.

A plan aimed at tackling Auckland's housing supply shortage has surpassed expectations in its first year, the Government and Auckland Mayor Len Brown say.

Labour's housing spokesman Phil Twyford has raised concerns about anti-competitive building industry practices after the world's second biggest wallboard maker said it was reviewing its structure in New Zealand.

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.

New Zealand core retail spending on debit and credit cards fell in June for the first time in four months.

The owners of a house for sale in West Auckland have taken open-plan living to a new level, inserting an "en suite" complete with toilet into a bedroom, with no dividing walls.

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.

The Australian home building sector is still going quite strong despite an across-the-board fall in building approvals figures for February, economists say.

Franchisees at the country's biggest house builder remain dissatisfied with Auckland Council, despite claims of more speed and efficiency.

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