Interest rates are on the way back down again. Home lenders are already starting to sharpen their knives, with many of them passing on the Reserve Bank's cut in full. The juicy deals look tempting, but only fools rush in. Economists are expecting two to three more cuts by the end of the year, which means there might be more fat to trim yet.

Wairarapa's property market is finally showing signs of warming up as Aucklanders look for more affordable homes elsewhere. Prue Hamill of Harcourts Hamill Realty said that even though winter was traditionally a quiet time the sales numbers in Wairarapa were looking encouraging and they had sold several properties recently to Auckland and Australian buyers, some of whom had been looking to purchase multiple houses.

Labour has made a "complete botch" of its housing data, says the Government, calling it the "oldest and dirtiest political trick in the book". Housing Minister Nick Smith said he will not be basing housing policy on people's surnames. On July 11, Labour's Phil Twyford released figures based on house sales data from 3922 Auckland sales from February to April.

Two New Zealand opposition parties, Labour and NZ First, are demanding a register of foreign property buyers as the row over offshore Chinese investors rages on. Labour leader Andrew Little says New Zealanders need to know exactly how many houses are being snapped up by foreign speculators.

A staff member at Auckland's largest real estate company has been fired for leaking sales data which ended up in the hands of the Labour Party. The sacking has added fuel to the political row that's raging around the impact offshore Chinese investors are having on Auckland's overheated housing market.

Unnecessary red tape around safety standards is slapping extra costs on homeowners, exacerbating the housing affordability problem, says The New Zealand Institute. In a report released on Thursday, the market-orientated think tank found increased workplace safety requirements were adding thousands of dollars to the cost of building new homes and maintaining existing ones.

Property investors are lobbying the Government to halve the time period of a new capital gains tax for properties bought and sold within two years. The Finance and Expenditure Committee met in Auckland on Wednesday to discuss the first stage of a three-pronged legislative move to cool the housing market.

New Zealand's Labour leader Andrew Little is defending the release of controversial data appearing to show many offshore Chinese are buying Auckland houses. Labour has come under fire after housing spokesman Phil Twyford released figures from an unnamed real estate firm over the weekend showing 40 per cent of houses sold in Auckland between February and April went to people with Chinese surnames.

New Zealand law changes that will force landlords to insulate their houses and install smoke alarms equate to "putting lipstick on the pig", new home builder Jennian Homes says. NZ Building and Housing Minister Nick Smith announced the new rules on Thursday, saying they would ensure 180,000 homes were warmer, drier and safer. From July 1 next year, all social housing subsidised by the government will be retrofitted with ceiling and underfloor insulation, and have smoke alarms.

China's stock market recovered sharply in volatile trading on Thursday after the government announced further measures to restore investor confidence, including forbidding major shareholders from selling. Shanghai's benchmark share index rose 5.8 percent, reversing direction after sliding 3.8 percent earlier in the day. But it has still lost around a quarter of its value since a peak in mid-June.