One in five children is overweight; one in 12 is obese, and kids in urban areas are walking to school less.

Children are living in tiny, damp and sometimes squalid boarding houses, while Housing NZ staff are discouraging people who are seeking help from formally registering their need, saying they have no business interfering.

Angry unit owners condemn PPP model promoted as future of state housing

The Government wants public-private partnerships to fund thousands of new state and community houses.

Timaru has grown by 20 per cent as 7000 traumatised quake survivors shift down.

Matt McCarten has an amazing capacity to fight the fight in an uncompromising way but with an immense amount of goodwill and humour.

A man who rescued two of his children from a house fire last night was lucky to escape with only burns to his hand, the Fire Service says.

State house tenants would face eviction if a review decided they no longer needed public housing, under a proposed Govt plan.

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

The Government hopes it will be able to give thousands of Canterbury property owners in the worst earthquake-hit areas some idea of what the future holds by the middle of next week.

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

Christchurch mayor Bob Parker says the city has moved from a state of emergency "to a state of urgency" and significant problems remain.

Victims of Saturday's earthquake share their stories of survival.