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.

The tide is turning in favour of the Reserve Bank cutting official interest rates. But there are wide differences on when it may happen - as soon as next month or not for a couple of years. ANZ chief economist Cameron Bagrie said he now expected the Reserve Bank to cut by 25 basis points in June and cut again in July. There was little point in waiting till the second half of the year before cutting rates to manage the "emerging economic risks".

Auckland's housing market continued to strengthen in April, but a shortage of listings is becoming a concern, according to Barfoot & Thompson. New figures from Auckland's biggest real estate agency show fewer house listings for the Auckland market as winter approaches. Demand for properties in April was the highest it had been for the month in the past decade, with 1070 sales.

Finance Minister Bill English announced the Government is proposing to increase Inland Revenue's resources to target people profiteering out of Auckland's housing market. The announcement hints that the increased funding will be allocated in this month's budget.