The seasonally adjusted volume of residential building activity rose 7.4 per cent in the December quarter, while non-residential volume fell 6.1 per cent.

The Government is defending its $347m home insulation scheme against criticism its 'one size fits all' approach is inadequate.

Builders will put up 18,000 to 20,000 new houses this year, according to a forecast.

Building consent stats released this morning show a 3.1 per cent jump in the number of new homes authorised for construction in November - the highest level since May 2008.

The Government is moving on with its plans to help leaky home owners and says it is up to councils whether they participate or not.

The amount of residential building work put in place has fallen by almost 40 per cent since the most recent peak.

New Zealand house values rose 1 per cent in the 12 months ended November 30, up from a 0.20 per cent gain in the period through October, says QV Valuations.

New Zealanders are still optimistic about the state of the housing market, according to an ASB survey.

Rich Lister Gary Lane wants more than $10 million for a piece of land once donated to the people of Auckland - and estate agents say someone will cough up the cash.

Early signs of an economic recovery might not be as strong as many people hope, says Treasury.

New building consent figures point to signs of recovery in house building but show the non-residential sector sinking further into a slump.

The number of new building consents issued in August has risen, possibly pointing to a "soft" recovery in the building market.

August recorded the most new housing consents in nearly a year, says Statistics New Zealand.

Councils are staring at an estimated $6 billion legal bill to fix the country's leaky homes - with the crushing debt falling on ratepayers.

NZ's recovery from recession will be fuelled by a housing construction boom, with Auckland leading the way, Brendan O'Donovan said yesterday.