The building industry is in crisis.

Last month 973 consents were issued for new dwelling units, down 29 per cent from February 2010.

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 Govt hopes a new state house will be a heartening example for first-home owners.

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