Mary Barry is a tiny voice in a battle over the future of Auckland, fought between powerful developers with expensive lawyers and volunteer community organisations.

The latest Auckland property valuations have thrown the spotlight on a fixed charge that can ease the pain for homeowners of expensive properties, but hurt those in cheaper ones.

Coastal real estate continues to lag well behind soaring city prices with latest capital value ratings reflecting slow property market trends.

Figures from the council's 2014 CVs, released today, are a double-edged sword for the city's homeowners. Check out the average increase for every suburb.

Canadian migrant Genevieve Westcott remembers the 20.5 per cent mortgage rates of the 1980s.

Ex-Labour MP was infamous for his stays in hotels while a minister, but the frequent flying ambassador's crash pad these days is a South Auckland state house.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has condemned the Government's decision to sell state houses just after the election as "an extraordinary exercise in duplicity".

The Finance Minister says the proceeds from selling state houses are unlikely to be spent on new state houses and may go into the Consolidated Account.

A stunning home overlooking Tauranga Bay in Northland has been featured as the "house of the day" in the Wall Street Journal.

Community housing groups want the Auckland Council to underwrite "housing bonds" worth $30 million to kick start more than 200 new homes for low-income families.

Auckland's next generation will be divided into those whose parents owned a house and offspring of renters doomed to rent themselves, an economist has predicted.

The housing market nationwide is delivering about the rate of capital gain an investor would need to justify buying an average house, says Westpac chief economist Dominick Stephens.

Andrew King writes: A recent report showed that Generation Y - those under 28 - were increasingly becoming property orphans and spending their money on travel and shopping.

The pace of property price increases has eased nationwide, as higher interest rates and lending restrictions take effect. Everywhere, that is, except Auckland.

Waterfront Auckland has defended its Wynyard Quarter leasehold deal where apartment owners can pre-pay ground rent for 125 years.

New Zealand's biggest residential repair job is nearly finished, with Fletcher Earthquake Recovery completing most of the Christchurch housing repair backlog.

The general election failed to dent September house sale volumes which rose nearly 8 per cent last month.

Owners of the run-down Auckland villa that fetched a whopping $1million-plus price-tag spent the week avoiding the media.

It's a four-bedroom, settler style house that could fetch well over $800k. Just one catch - the unhappy owner is refusing to be dragged out of it.

A Detroit man has offered to sell his house for an iPhone 6, in a swap that speaks volumes about the mixed fortunes of America.

The lawyer of woman who defended Cornwall Park Trust Board’s $170k lawsuit over back rent suspects her opponents may appeal.

A potential health hazard that comes complete with rotting floorboards and nicotine-caked walls sold for $1.075 million this afternoon.

Home ownership, once an integral part of the Kiwi dream, is one of the hottest topics right now.

Prime Minister John Key has split housing issues across three ministers as National speeds up its shift toward developing social housing by private providers and reducing reliance on state....

First-home buyers looking to make the next step up the ladder could struggle - despite making huge gains in value on their property.

Property values rose 6.4 per cent nationwide in September, slowing from an annual pace of 6.9 per cent in August, according to QV.

Is six storeys the new height for apartment buildings in zones approved for four storeys?

It's a potential health hazard that comes complete with rotting floorboards, nicotine-caked walls and the worst bathroom the agent's ever seen: Auckland's $1m hovel.

A woman who was kicked out of a $1m state house after offering to buy it is fighting a $40,000 bill after allegations she was living there with an undisclosed partner.