Consents spring to life in August

New dwelling consents in August 2018 up from previous months and greater than August 2017

A total of 3,075 new dwellings were consented in August; this represented a seasonally adjusted 7.8% increase, following a 11% fall in July 2018, and a 8.1% fall in June.

The figure included 1,880 stand-alone houses, 507 apartments, 191 retirement village units and 497 townhouses or similar.

In the year ended August 2018, the actual number of new dwellings consented was 32,759 – an increase of 6.6% from the August 2017 year.

In the regions

Five out of the 16 regions consented more new dwellings in August 2018 compared to August 2017, led by Auckland (up 114 to 1298; +9.6%), Waikato (up 43 to 399; +12%) and Manawatu-Wanganui (up 17 to 117; +17%). Gisborne and Southland were other regions to consent more dwellings month-on-month.

Northland (down 31 to 92; -25%), Tasman (down 16 to 22; -42%) and West Coast (down 9 to 9; -50%) recorded the biggest decreases. Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki, Wellington, Canterbury, Otago, Nelson, and Marlborough were the other regions that registered fewer dwelling consents in August 2018 compared to August 2017.

Non-residential building consents

In the year ended August 2018, non-residential building consents totalled $6.7 billion, up 5.4% from the August 2017 year. The building types with the highest values were:

• Education buildings — $1.1bn.
• Offices, administration, and public transport buildings — $1.0bn.
• Shops, restaurants, and bars — $1.0bn