Thirteen real estate companies are being prosecuted by the Commerce Commission over tactics that may have discouraged their clients from advertising properties on Trade Me.

House rental figures from Trade Me are out - and it is bad news for Auckland renters. The latest analysis of median asking rents on Trade Me Property showed the cost of renting a typical home in Auckland has surpassed $500 a week for the first time, hitting a new high in November.

The Auckland housing market's downturn is more severe than anticipated, an economist says. Writing in Westpac's latest 'Home Truths' report, chief economist Dominick Stephens said the latest round of housing data had been revealing.

Precinct Properties will go ahead with a planned $NZ681 million ($A630.79 million) development in downtown Auckland, including a 39-storey waterfront office tower and retail centre.

New Zealand's Reserve Bank is handing homeowners an early Christmas present, lowering the official cash rate to a record low 2.5 per cent.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is widely tipped to deliver an early Christmas present for homeowners by cutting the official cash rate on Thursday.

Are you struggling to buy a first home? Maybe it's time to think about becoming a landlord instead. Property experts say making your first house purchase an investment property is something that should pay off in the long run. David Whitburn, director of FUZO property, spent years living in rental properties while he built up his own investment portfolio. "It was a sacrifice that helped us get ahead."

New Zealand landlords will have to insulate their houses and install smoke alarms under legislation that's just been introduced to parliament.

NPT, New Zealand's listed property investor, increased first-half earnings 6.1 per cent as rental income from its retail buildings dragged up revenue, while a lift in the value of its overall property portfolio almost doubled profit.

New Zealand's largest housing development has clocked up 500 completed new homes and another 389 are under construction.