Westpac report says the good times in the residential property market will "end very soon".
The housing market is facing a looming slowdown, according to Westpac's chief economist Dominick Stephens.
In a Home Truths Report on the housing market Stephens said although the market was positive for now, it will soon slow.
"In our view the good times for the market are going to end very soon," he said.
"We are forecasting a small decline in house prices in the second half of 2018.
The report pointed to six factors that would likely cause a market slowdown:
- Foreign buyers will be banned from buying existing residential properties, probably by the middle of this year.
- Ring fencing tax losses on residential investment properties, which means investors won't be able to offset any tax losses from a property against other income.
- The Tax Working Group will probably recommend a Capital Gains Tax, although the family home will likely be exempted.
- Mortgage rates are more likely to rise than fall
- Net migration is expected to keep slowing while home construction will keep rising.
"This is a prodigious set of negative factors, but for a few reasons we are forecasting only a slight house price decline, rather than anything dramatic," the report said.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
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