The National Business Review has published an article on the Real Estate Agents Bill before Parliament, which aims to strip the Real Estate Institute (REINZ) of its regulatory powers and establish a new independent Real Estate Agents Authority that will oversee licensing, complaints and disciplinary action for the nation's 18,000 agents.

Associate Justice Minister Clayton Cosgrove has gone head to head with the real estate industry over his reforms.

National, United Future, ACT and independent MPs Gordon Copeland and Taito Phillip Field have indicated they will oppose the bill, and now it appears that NZ First has reservations, telling newspapers that is has concerns about the Government's hard-hitting reform of the industry and may seek changes to the bill implementing them.

An unnamed spokesman told The Dominion Post it had concerns about the exclusion of REINZ in industry training.

The newspaper said NZ First leader Winston Peters was angered by what he considered Mr Cosgrove's heavy-handed approach to winning his support.

National oppose the bill saying it should include property managers, something NZ First may be sympathetic to.

The committee considering the bill said that was outside its scope but called for a separate law which the Government said it would back.
Green MP Sue Bradford said the select committee had given a lot of attention to the concerns of REINZ in its changes and said National's reasons for opposing it were "weak".

Mr Cosgrove said he was "confident" the bill would pass before the election. He would not comment on what parties he was talking to but said it was possible changes would be needed.