Prime Minister John Key has conceded he received no official advice that some areas of quake-stricken Christchurch may need to be abandoned.

Official figures released today by Civil Defence tag the number of homes condemned to date in Christchurch at 2190 - about 7800 shy of John Key's estimate of 10,000 - causing some to question where the PM's office is getting its information

New Zealand building consents sank to a nine-year low in January as new home construction slumped.

Box Living aims for the higher end of NZ's design-and-build house market.

Building consent figures fell sharply in December, with one economist saying they probably cannot get any worse.

Three out of four New Zealand homes are failing to meet new energy-efficiency standards.

The residential building sector remained soft in September, with another fall in building consents.

The Govt has opened its first 'simple house', its answer to streamlining the design and build process for first-time buyers.

Fletcher Building, expects the residential property market to pick up next year when rebuilding begins in Canterbury and the government's response to 'leaky homes' comes into effect.

The number of consents issued for new homes has fallen to its lowest level in more than a year, Statistics NZ said today.

The news is good - and bad - says the Bank of New Zealand's Tony Alexander.

Global re-insurance companies will probably take the bulk of losses for claims from the Christchurch earthquake not covered by EQC, says Moody's.

Credit crunch has changed the landscape for residential building, writes Kevin Atkinson

A report prepared by business researcher Infometrics is predicting house prices will fall 4.1 per cent by next June.

NZ's residential property sector remained subdued last month with permits for new construction edging up from a slump in May, while commercial property extended its decline.

The number of consents issued for new home building nudged up 1.7pc in June.

The number of consents issued for new homes fell 9.5 per cent during May, following a 13.4 per cent rise during April, Statistics New Zealand says.