A scheme has been launched to encourage Aucklanders to buy big new planned Christchurch houses for $640,000, as a financial watchdog reminds investors.

Thinking of using KiwiSaver's first-home subsidy for an investment property?

Labour leader David Shearer has unveiled a new affordable housing policy to build 100,000 basic homes for first home buyers.

Prime Minister John Key said he didn't think prostitution law reform had worked in New Zealand.

Opponents of the Chow Brothers' resource consent say it could become New Zealand's first sex hotel and a drawcard for overseas and out-of-town sex buyers.

It is of concern that while individual home owners and property investors are being encouraged to reduce debt and increase personal savings.

Banks again are offering big loans to property investors, but they come with a warning to those who assume they can leverage their way into high returns.

The median house price in New Zealand rose to a record $380,000 last month as sales jumped by almost a third compared to October 2011, according to new figures.

The recent debate over how much of our farmland is overseas owned shows very large differences in estimates, writes Bill Rosenberg.

I own a major airport, three retirement village operators, a chain of petrol stations, two power companies, two insurance companies, two banks and an iconic fast food operator. I don't own a house and never have.

Housing affordability is still a problem and the "housing market is not working properly'', says Finance Minister Bill English.

A Chinese company's bid to buy the Crafar dairy farms passed its final legal hurdle today after an attempt to block the deal in the Supreme Court was dismissed.

A lower-than-usual number of new house listings for this time of year resulted in record house prices last month, according to figures out today.

The Chinese conglomerate that bought the Crafar Farms this year is not ruling out the possibility of buying more New Zealand dairy land to fuel its exports to China.