The first batch of `special housing areas' in Auckland, which will bring 6000 new sections onto the market, have been revealed today.

New mortgage lending restrictions could cause a dramatic reduction in the number of houses built each year and put many small construction firms out of business, the Registered Master Builders Federation says.

Auckland has lost 4 per cent of its most fertile rural land to housing over the past two decades and is set to lose more under the strain of a million more residents.

Risks to the financial system posed by an overheated housing market may be greater now than they were in the leadup to the global financial crisis, says Grant Spencer.

The country's biggest house builder has opened four new franchises and will build almost 1000 new houses in the year to next March.

If the market distortion is going to persist then those with the means should be buying multiple houses, they can't do anything but go up in value, writes Gareth Morgan.

Some of the most expensive places in which to build in New Zealand are not the big cities with highest demand and dearest house prices.

Cold and damp conditions are adding to health problems, including pneumonia and tuberculosis, faced by residents of overcrowded homes.

Lockwood's third generation says sticking to what they do best is working.

Intensification isn't just about getting more height; it's about being smarter with what we have, writes Rob Hutchison.

A fee for tapping into the waterworks in parts of Auckland has gone up by 900 per cent in the past two years - from less than $850 to almost $8000.

Damien Grant writes: By law, Watercare has to keep the overall costs of water at minimum levels.

The Government is under fire for fast-tracking legislation which retrospectively legalises the unlawful collection of thousands of dollars in fees from plumbers and gasfitters.

A couple who took out a Master Builders guarantee and paid more than $500,000 in progress payments on their new home are in danger of getting nothing back after their builder went under - because they paid too much in advance.

The future of a $330 million subsidised home heating and insulation scheme is in doubt despite tracking ahead of budget and being considered a huge success.

Aucklanders are now able to go online and discover how their own home and neighbourhoods are affected by the new masterplan, writes Brian Rudman.

A property developer who has copped flak for proposed apartments at Milford hopes Auckland's Unitary Plan will provide more certainty.

The Government is becoming increasingly heavy-handed over Auckland's housing shortage, with talk of a new Crown agency to free up more land.

People signing to build a house are being warned that hiring a Master Builder doesn't mean automatically getting a guarantee.

Our building stock could look radically different in the next few years as owners and architects introduce new seismic elements, an expert says.