Up to 600 new apartments, townhouses and duplexes in 17 blocks, six to nine levels high, are planned in the now open areas around Wynyard Quarter.

Propelled by the construction sector, the economy kept expanding at a brisk clip in the March quarter.

An aerial image of Unitec's ambitious plans for its 53ha Mt Albert campus show dozens of apartments and townhouses squeezed onto its site.

The giant tunnel boring machine Alice has reached halfway on the first leg of her long journey underground at Auckland's Waterview Connection project.

Auckland and Christchurch's rapid house-building resurgence has surprised and delighted economists as it hit the highest level since 2002.

Another construction industry player has criticised Fletcher Building's dominant position in New Zealand's plasterboard market via its Winstone Wallboards.

Claims about anti-competitive practices in New Zealand's plasterboard market have been added to by a former Christchurch building sector worker who says he has first-hand experience of it.

The Commerce Commission is so concerned about construction industry cartels, price-fixing and bid-rigging that it has launched a website calling for whistleblowers.

Almost three-quarters of owners of new homes had to call their builder back to fix something, a new survey says.

If your roof is leaking, your furnace is broken or you need a new gas fire installed, you may have to wait for a tradesperson.

New Zealand's biggest listed company, Fletcher Building, could be hurt by the Budget move to axe temporarily anti-dumping duties on building materials covering 90 per cent of a new home's construction, say experts.

Jobs and companies could be lost if masses of cheap overseas construction materials flood our boarders, say building companies.

NZ shares rose yesterday, led by Goodman Property Trust, after the property investor said full-year net profit rose 72 per cent. Trade Me and Xero paced the gains while Ryman Healthcare fell ahead of reporting earnings today.

Carter Holt Harvey, which sold its pulp, paper and packaging businesses last month, more than tripled gross margins at its Australian building supplies in 2013.

Sometimes, good fortune arrives disguised as disaster. That's what happened on Karangahape Rd in central Auckland.

Australian housing construction approvals have dipped in the past couple of months, but are still at 19-year highs.

Shipping containers are being put to new uses in Auckland, as builders make inroads on two prominent city sites.

Alice the tunnel-boring machine sometimes seems to work at its own pace.

A real estate agency boss has backed a call this week by finance minister Bill English to relax rules designed to stamp out so-called "shoebox apartments".

BlueScope Steel, Australia's largest steelmaker has gained antitrust approval to acquire Fletcher Building's Pacific Steel in a $120m deal.

Finance Minister Bill English has hinted at changes in the Budget to make it easier for housing developers to build smaller and cheaper.

New Zealand tech stocks led the local market higher in morning trade, snapping a two-day decline as investors returned to tech and biotech stocks.

One of the world's biggest and oldest insurers is underwriting a new building warranty insurance scheme being launched in New Zealand.

New Zealand's crane population is booming with 71 up, compared to just 10 two years ago.

The country's busiest house builder expects to put up a third more homes this year and could build more than 1000.

The Australian home building sector is still going quite strong despite an across-the-board fall in building approvals figures for February, economists say.

A Parnell group is upset about approval for a big new apartment building, saying office workers' cars already clog their street.

A couple who paid $913,000 for a leaky Meadowbank house fought for four years to get it reclad after an earlier repair continued to let water into the home.