Christchurch landlords are cramming extra bedrooms into rental properties to take advantage of a huge demand for student accommodation.

A 65-year-old New Plymouth seaside home is expected to break the million-dollar barrier.

Wanted to rent: A three bedroom home in the $240 to $280 price bracket with garaging, preferably close to the city.

Asteron, formerly Royal & SunAlliance Financial Services and a subsidiary of listed insurance company Promina, is planning to enter the mortgage lending market early in the second quarter of this year.

Tasman district ratepayers could face a rates hike as their council considers $13.8 million worth of new community projects.

Well-heeled Wellingtonians have joined the stampede for a slice of New Zealand waterfront and are paying record prices for it.

Holidaymakers visiting Mercury Bay have been snapping up properties while they've been relaxing.

All the economists at the major mortgage lending banks are in a rare state of unanimity: they all think the rise in the New Zealand dollar has been sufficient to prevent the Reserve Bank from raising interest rates later this month.

Australian households are borrowing more against the equity in their homes but levels were not unsustainable, according to Australia's central bank.

The Reserve Bank has scope to hold or even cut interest rates if the rising Kiwi dollar shows signs of hitting the economy more severely than expected, the Treasury says.

The Greens say a capital gains tax on property deals would help rein in the rampaging Kiwi dollar, but the Bank of New Zealand's chief economist thinks such a tax would fail and simply fuel the property boom.

Raglan property valuations have soared by up to 70 per cent.

Almost a third of New Zealand's coastline is privately owned, a new report says.

A former planning councillor fears Remuera will be "devastated" by zoning changes.

A $6.63million government subsidy to the Kaipara District Council for a Mangawhai sewerage scheme could ease the financial burden on ratepayers and residents.

Taranaki is tipped to become New Zealand's hottest destination in 2004.