Major banks have dropped home loan rates, with more cuts on the horizon as official interest rates are tipped to head lower next month. Over the last three months, market-leading mortgage rates have fallen by as much as a quarter of a percentage point. This week the country's biggest bank, ANZ, cut all its standard mortgage rates, some by as much as three quarters of a percentage point.

The Government and Reserve Bank have stepped up efforts to cool the Auckland housing market, but critics say it won't stop foreign investors fuelling the fire. On Sunday, Prime Minister John Key announced a law change to firm up and better enforce the existing capital gains tax on speculators. The Reserve Bank is also moving to force Auckland investors to front up with a 30 per cent deposit, while relaxing rules outside the country's biggest city.

The Government could be poised to announce joint ventures with big overseas developers to build large swathes of new developments Thursday's Budget is expected to hold more announcements about Auckland housing, a message underlined by Finance Minister Bill English who this week said the Government stood ready to free up more Crown-owned land to ease Auckland's pressures.

Major banks have dropped home loan rates, with more cuts on the horizon as official interest rates are tipped to head lower next month. Over the last three months, market-leading mortgage rates have fallen by as much as a quarter of a percentage point. This week the country's biggest bank, ANZ, cut all its standard mortgage rates, some by as much as three quarters of a percentage point. The bank was following the lead of Kiwibank, which reduced three of its fixed rates and is leading the market with its one year term of 5.39 per cent.

Wanaka entrepreneur Lauren McKay has put her own building plans on hold to launch her start up business, Insiteful Ltd. Her company's free online tool HomeOversite was launched on April 30 and is designed to make it easier for homeowners to keep track of work done on their investment properties. McKay said people could store information online about anything from paint colours in the bathroom to the chimney sweep's phone number or building compliance records.

Two years ago this month, The Press consulted developers, landowners, local leaders and recovery plans to form a picture of how Christchurch might look in February 2016. The mix of public and private projects revolved around the central city blueprint – a bold recovery vision the Government produced in 2012. Comparing 2013 schedules with progress made two years later makes for sobering reading.

Speculators who buy and sell residential property for profit within two years will be taxed on the capital gains in a move to rein in Auckland's housing market. Prime Minister John Key also announced Sunday measures targeting overseas buyers who have been able to escape paying any tax on their profits. Key said the measures would be contained in this week's Budget and the focus would be on ensuring people buying and selling property for profit paid their fair share of tax to the Inland Revenue Department (IRD).

Property investors in super-heating Auckland housing market will have to have a deposit of 30 per cent under new lending rules announced by the Reserve Bank. The central bank announced the policy on Wednesday when it released its six-monthly Financial Stability Report. "We don't use words like bubble. You won't hear the bank talking about rock star economy or things like that," Reserve Bank of New Zealand governor Graeme Wheeler said.

Reserve Bank of New Zealand governor Graeme Wheeler has agreed with MPs on parliament's finance and expenditure committee that new restrictions on property investors could make it easier for foreigners to buy houses in Auckland. The bank announced on Wednesday that from October 1 any mortgage secured on a home in Auckland not occupied by the owner would need a 30 per cent deposit.

The median price of an Auckland house didn't change between March and April, at $NZ720,000 ($A669,674.00), according to the latest Real Estate Institute of New Zealand figures. But there has been a $NZ108,500, or 17.7 per cent increase in the Auckland median house price since April last year.