A flood map sparks a NZ$60,000 dispute: models and reality diverge as debate over Auckland property risk intensifies
On an Auckland Council flood risk map, a 1565-square-metre site in St Lukes is clearly marked as a ‘potential flood area’.
Industry Articles
Property · Building · Design
Unable to rise or fall? New Zealand’s housing market reaches a critical turning point, with winter potentially the real test
After several consecutive months of modest recovery, New Zealand’s housing market appears to be at a familiar yet uncertain crossroads once again.
Revealed: New Zealand’s busiest builders ranked — Naylor Love returns to the top. Is construction changing direction?
The latest figures show Naylor Love has regained its position as New Zealand’s busiest builder, with approximately NZ$1,030,000,000 worth of projects starting in 2025, across 103 projects. That figure has not only reclaimed the top spot it lost last year, but also set a new record for the rankings.
From property speculation to owner-occupation? The balance of power in New Zealand’s housing market is shifting
For a long time, the way New Zealand’s housing market worked was fairly straightforward: as long as credit was readily available and interest rates were low enough, investors would keep entering the market, driving house prices higher. Within this cycle, “mum and dad investors” — small investors who used the equity in their existing properties to keep increasing their borrowing — were consistently among the market’s most active and influential participants.
As buyers race to repay mortgages and sellers start cutting prices, who holds the upper hand in New Zealand’s housing market?
An interesting pattern has recently emerged in the property market.
Inflation persists as interest rates move first: how should borrowers respond when the market is already raising rates?
A shift in New Zealand’s interest rate environment is becoming increasingly clear. The official cash rate (OCR) remains at 2.25%, suggesting no movement at the policy level. But closer to the market, interest rates are already being repriced.
What makes a development project successful? Lessons from a real case
In property development, people often focus on the visible stages of a project, such as construction, development progress, building costs and the finished product. These are tangible, measurable and the easiest aspects to discuss. But experienced practitioners understand that by the time a project reaches construction, most of the key decisions have already been made.
Diesel surges 42%: builders face growing pressure as costs prove difficult to pass on
As fuel prices dominate the headlines, some builders are already feeling the impact more directly: projects are disappearing.
Beyond buying and selling: how New Zealand can build a more mature relationship with China — an interview with New Zealand Ambassador to China Jonathan Austin
Amid uncertainty in the international environment, New Zealand's relationship with China appears particularly stable and important.
Fast approval does not mean fast construction: are 3,850 homes in a potential flood zone fuelling wider controversy over New Zealand's fast-track process?
A large community development proposing nearly 4,000 homes has secured approval through the Government's fast-track process despite objections from almost every key local agency.
Fletcher issues an industry warning: plastic product prices rising by up to 36%. How can Chinese builders protect themselves?
Against a backdrop of continued oil price volatility and uncertainty in the Middle East, anticipated cost pressures in New Zealand’s construction industry are becoming a reality.
One faces court, another could face a further decade of delays: why do New Zealand’s medium and large housing developments keep stalling?
New Zealand has been talking about a housing shortage for years. But looking beyond the broad statistics to individual projects reveals a more practical problem: there is no shortage of people wanting to build homes, yet getting them built is becoming increasingly difficult.