Home Featured Fourth consecutive annual increase

Issue 50 – March 2016

Fourth consecutive annual increase

16 Feb 2016, Featured, Industry Updates

Canterbury and Auckland accounted for more than 60% of new dwelling consents in 2015, driving the national total to an 11-year high

In 2015, 27,132 new dwellings were consented (including 2,538 in December), up 2,415 compared to 2014. It’s the fourth straight year dwelling consents have increased.

“Last year was the ninth-highest year on record for dwelling consents, beaten only by the building booms in the 1970s and early 2000s,” said Statistics NZ business indicators manager Clara Eatherley.

However, the rate of the increase was down compared to the average annual rise of 3,685 over the past three years.

The 27,132 new dwelling consents comprised of:

  • 19,038 houses – up 679 from 2014 (+3.7%).
  • 3,656 townhouses, flats and units – up 936 (+34%).
  • 2,539 apartments – up 818 (48%).
  • 1,899 retirement village units – down 18 (-0.9%).

In the regions

Compared to December 2014, eight out the 16 regions consented more new dwellings. The biggest increases were in Auckland (up 317 to 947; +50%), Waikato (up 141 to 333; +73%) and Bay of Plenty (up 54 to 176; +44%). Other regions to record an increase were Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Northland, Otago and Tasman.

Canterbury (down 168 to 564; -23%), Wellington (down 65 to 106; -38%) and Taranaki (down 21 to 34; -38%) recorded the largest decreases.

Gisborne, Marlborough, Nelson and Southland also recorded decreases, while the number of consents remained unchanged at nine on the West Coast.

December’s monthly movements mirrored those for the year, with Auckland (up 1,619 to 9,251; +21%), Waikato (up 631 to 3,000 +27%) and Bay of Plenty (up 489 to 1,901; +35%) recording the biggest increases in new dwelling consents in 2015 compared to 2014.

After reaching an all-time high in 2014, new dwelling consents in Canterbury fell 819 to 6,489 – the largest decrease for the year.

Despite the drop, Auckland and Canterbury accounted for 58% of all new dwelling consents issued last year.

Value of non-residential consents highest in 30 years

The value of non-residential consents rose 16%, from $5.1 bn in 2014 to $5.9 bn last year – the highest recorded in the last 30 years.

By building type, the main contributors were offices, administration and public transport buildings ($1.2bn), education buildings($1.1bn) and storage buildings ($713m).

For the first time on record, the value of non-residential building consents in Canterbury was higher than in Auckland.

The top three regions were:

  • Canterbury – $1.9bn, up $400m from 2014 (+27%).
  • Auckland – $1.8bn, up $271m (+17%).
  • Wellington – $500m, up $25m (+5.3%).

In 2015, the total value of consents for all buildings (including alterations and additions) was $16.4bn – up $1.8bn or 12% from 2014. The value for residential buildings was $10.5bn – up $998m compared to 2014.


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