"I think it goes against the New Zealand way when you target one ethnic group and say they're the problem, " says Housing Minister Nick Smith.

One of NZ's biggest off-site housing manufacturers is now in liquidation, but creditors have hope of getting paid.

Nearly half of the state houses assessed in a warrant of fitness trial were classed as "high risk" and in need of urgent repair, a new report shows.

A long-term contract to inspect all state houses for potential risks to health and safety was axed the year before two Auckland tenants died last winter.

Protected views of volcanoes are threatening Auckland's goals of affordable housing and a compact city, major property owners say.

New legislation, tabled in Parliament today, is designed to facilitate National's plan to sell up to 8000 state houses to community providers.

What remains unclear in this long, drawn-out "make-an-offer" phase is what the Government considers is the going price for a state house, writes Brian Rudman.

Bill English's willingness to allow a foreign housing provider to buy NZ state houses veers close to allowing blind ideology to get the better of common sense, says John Armstrong.

Labour leader Andrew Little says there is no rational explanation for the Government's allowing an Australian housing provider to buy up to 500 state houses as part of housing reforms.

Families in urgent need of a state house are waiting twice as long compared to 18 months ago, Labour says.

Anger is building about the poor condition of rental properties in New Zealand writes Dr Bryce Edwards.

A Whangarei woman with chronic asthma was admitted to intensive care at least four times while living in a mouldy, damp Housing New Zealand property.

Just over two years ago, Housing Minister Nick Smith announced that "this year" the Government was developing a housing warrant of fitness, writes Brian Rudman.

Housing Minister Nick Smith has defended the quality of state houses following the death of a Housing New Zealand tenant from pneumonia.

You'd be surprised just how hard it is to find a family willing to let a Herald writer snoop around their home and ask all sorts of intrusive questions about their substandard living conditions, writes Peter Calder.

Cold, damp housing is a significant issue facing children, with a paediatrician calling for more to be done to change the culture of accepting unfit houses.

The Labour Party said it would have another shot at getting a "healthy homes bill" passed.

Children are more likely to be in material hardship relative to the rest of the population in New Zealand than in any European country.

31 former state houses bought for the Waterview motorway project are being sold on the open market because Housing New Zealand no longer wants them.

There's been a few changes to KiwiSaver affecting first home buyers - and it's mostly good news.

Getting a state house is currently just a "lottery" for tenants, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

Housing NZ has had to take on more staff just to distribute new home subsidy grants to keep up with demand.

Mt Albert residents who feared an 80-unit Housing NZ scheme in their neighbourhood have been told of much smaller plans.

A big state-owned site in Auckland once earmarked for social and affordable housing is being carved up for sale.

If the likes of the Salvation Army cannot afford to buy cut-price state houses, it seems improbable that any other social services agency is in a position to do so.

This week, Finance Minister Bill English was dealt a blow by the Salvation Army, which rejected his suggestion it buy Housing New Zealand stock.

The Salvation Army says it felt pressured into carrying out expensive, time-consuming research on buying unwanted state houses because the Government repeatedly referred to the charity as a likely buyer.

Bill English says he is not surprised that the Salvation Army has decided against buying state houses from the Government.