First-home buyers in Auckland are flocking to the west, where there are more new buyers than anywhere else in the country, latest data shows.

The house-building sector's rising fortunes have taken a tumble, with the latest Statistics New Zealand data showing the rate of increase slipping.

The share of new mortgage lending going to borrowers with low deposits halved in October, the first month in which the Reserve Bank's curbs on such loans applied.

The building industry has stepped up pressure on the Reserve Bank over its loan to value ratio (LVR) loan restrictions.

Lending restrictions are starting to ease the pressure on the property market but first-home buyers are still finding it tough as prices and interest rates creep up.

Despite the introduction of the Reserve Bank's lending restrictions, home affordability has continued to worsen according to a new report.

A fall in the number of first-home buyers is plaguing Australia too - evidence, the Finance Minister says, that it's not the Reserve Bank's mortgage restrictions.

Fed chair nominee Janet Yellen says the US economy has gained ground, but still needs support as unemployment is still too high.

The Reserve Bank says it's too early to draw conclusions on the impact of its restrictions on low equity home loans - although it may have 'tweaked' behaviour.