COMMENT: This is an issue for the entire country because if Auckland doesn't work, the country doesn't work, writes Rachel Smalley. It's our economic powerhouse.

How hard is it for developers to build big housing projects?

Land development is a long and capital-intensive process and in some cases this is holding back the rate of building new houses, reports Anne Gibson.

COMMENT: Affordable seems a dirty word in PM John Key and Nick Smith's housing plans for Auckland, writes Brian Rudman.

Labour says move will get people out of cars, caravans, garages and tents.

Real estate chief says NZ caught in a three-way squeeze: a listings shortage combined with high immigration and worsened by low new-housing starts.

Andrew Little attempted to show reporters an overcrowded house yesterday - but it backfired when the owner insisted it was only being renovated.

COMMENT: The PM is being accused of being woefully out of touch on homelessness after he said that families forced to live in cars should go to Work and Income for help.

The Government will not be throwing money at housing initiatives in the Budget, Prime Minister John Key says.

Whatever the source of the demand for Auckland houses, it will remain insatiable if the Government pretends it is purely a problem of supply.

Real estate commissions and fees levied on Kiwi homeowners have increased at nearly twice the rate of inflation in the past decade.

Everyone who cares about the future of the economy, interest rates and house prices needs to circle two dates in their calendars this year.

More than three weeks after tenders closed on the sprawling Coatesville mansion, not a single offer has been tabled.

Home buyers are turning their backs on traditional suburban villas, sparking a boom in apartment living.

It tops Toronto, Sydney and San Francisco for houses that cost well over $1 million.

The Government says it will not rule out new restrictions on house-buying which are tied to a buyer's income.

Property prices dipped one per cent across New Zealand in April - but are up 7.7pc compared to the year before.

COMMENT: That the battle to preserve the volcanic cones viewshafts in Auckland rages on highlights just how bad we are at protecting our heritage.

The Auckland iwi have released a behind the scenes video showing its new housing estate.

Experts and politicians are skeptical about the new data on foreign buying in New Zealand; one reader shows how the system can be beat.

The number of people expecting price gains in the housing market is more than 50% in the first quarter, according to ASB's Housing Confidence Survey.

A property lobby group says it hopes the release of foreign house-buyer figures will remove "xenophobia" from the heated housing-market debate.

Bill English has signalled that further steps to address housing shortages in Auckland will be announced in the Budget to help more people into their own homes.

COMMENT: New data on foreign buyers in the housing market is not going resolve the big debate on the issue just yet, writes Liam Dann.

Nearly 60 per cent of Auckland houses sold to foreign buyers went to Chinese investors, new data shows.

An older-style and largely original three-bedroom bungalow overlooking the Titirangi Golf Course has sold under the hammer for $2 million.