Labour's opposing any changes to its foreign buyer ban

New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters has revealed he's expecting a change to the 2018 rules to be announced before the end of the year.

The change could see the ban lifted for very high-value homes.

But Chris Hipkins says easing the rules -- even just for homes at the very top end of the market -- will have a ripple effect across the whole housing market.

He says when foreigners are competing for the most expensive homes, domestic buyers compete for homes in lower price brackets.