The Auckland Council hasn't done any work to compare urban and rural infrastructure costs as it asks Aucklanders to adapt to a new way of life.

The greater issue is whether the workforce would be available given the mass exodus of skilled Kiwi workers to Australia and the demands of Christchurch, writes Ashley Church.

Asian business migrants looking at moving to New Zealand are being urged to invest in real estate to secure their residency.

Up to seven annual Auckland incomes would now be needed to buy a property in the city for its median house price.

Auckland's heritage character is under threat from apartments in half of residential Auckland, says the Character Coalition.

Whether it's walls of apartments on the ridges overlooking Browns Bay or 18-storey high rises in Newmarket, the council is facing a chorus of complaints.

Intensification of housing needs to be matched by intensification of amenities, writes Dr Jamie Hosking. It must be sensitive to heritage and design values,

A former Coromandel real estate agent who forged his clients' initials on a document has been fined $700 - a fraction of the penalty he could have faced under new legislation.

Aucklanders are looking as far away as Hamilton to buy homes as more people find themselves squeezed out of their local real estate market.

Half of suburban Auckland built up with three-storey apartments? Under the rules of the draft Unitary Plan it's about as likely as the sun setting in the east.

The draft Auckland Unitary Plan proposes a fundamental change to the urban fabric of Auckland, writs Richard Burton. Multi-storey, high-density apartment buildings formerly reserved to the inner city and adjoining areas are now proposed.

Plans to intensify Auckland with terraced housing and apartment buildings are deja vu for one community, which met last night to discuss the potential changes.

The CV is misleading and potentially damaging to the process of real estate, writes Alistair Helm.

A public meeting of about 500 people has told the Auckland Council to rethink its intensification plans for the city, start listening to communities and stop spinning.

Against a backdrop of rising share prices and a booming Auckland housing market, investor confidence reached its highest level.

Standard & Poor's, the global credit rating agency, has put eight local banks on notice over the rising risk of a housing bubble bursting in New Zealand.

The continued sprawl of New Zealand towns and cities across productive land is a concern, writes Deb Milliken. It is a particular concern around Auckland.

As a Kiwi who has recently returned to live in New Zealand after 50 years overseas I am distressed the mayor's growth management policies in Auckland.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown is refusing to help a community battling plans by hardware giant Bunnings to build a big box retail store alongside homes and kindergartens.

The Green Party wants to bolster Kiwibank's capital so it can "really take on the Aussie banks".

The number of New Zealand house sales slipped from a six-year high last month, but the national market is still being driven by Auckland and Christchurch.

A one-bedroom unit attached to a state house in Auckland has reached $550,000 at auction.

Mayor Len Brown and his deputy Penny Hulse pushed hard for quotas for affordable housing to be included in the accord, but the Govt refused, writes Brian Rudman.