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Sector information summarises trends and developments in the building and housing sector. 

older reports

Previous versions of  the building and housing sector trends reports are available on request.

Residential building consents

Updated: 31 January 2012

New dwelling consent numbers increases in main centres

New dwelling consents increased from 1,384 in November 2011 to 1,127 in December 2011; with 979 for non-apartments and 148 for apartments. The number of new dwelling consents went up  by 13.4% compared to December 2010.

The December 2011 figures for non-apartments decreased 0.2% in seasonally adjusted terms from November 2011.   However, the trend for new dwelling consent numbers show moderate increases since March 2011 but the rate of increase is slowing.

New dwelling consent numbers for the year ended December 2011 totalled 13,662, a 12.4% decrease on the previous 12 months. The total is 133 more than the November 2011 year. 

Figure 6: Number of consents for new dwelling units (to December 2011)

Source: Statistics New Zealand

The value of residential building consents was $443 million for December 2011, up 20.3% compared to December 2010. The value of consents for the year ended December 2011 was $4.925 billion, a 11.6% decrease on the previous 12 months.

Figure 7: Value of residential building consents (to December 2011).

Source: Statistics New Zealand

Apartment consents

Apartment consent numbers have picked up in 2011 compared to a year ago.   The number of 939 new apartment consents was the lowest in the last 17 December-years  The number rose to 1,156 new apartment consents in the December 2011 year.

Figure 8: Number of new apartment consents (to December 2011).

Source: Statistics New Zealand

*Statistics New Zealand releases monthly building consents data for consents valued at $5,000 or more. This information is indicative of likely future volumes of building work.