Consents slow off the mark

January maintained its reputation for being a slow month for new dwelling consents, with numbers hitting a two-year low on the back of last year’s 11-year high

In January, 1,695 new dwelling consents were issued – the lowest monthly total since January 2014.

This included 1,286 houses, 89 apartments and 135 retirement village units. Seasonally adjusted, the number of new dwelling consents fell by 8.6% and, for houses alone, was down 5.6%.

In the regions

Numbers hit a four-year low in Canterbury (down 178 to 289; -38%). Decreases were also recorded in Taranaki (down 28 to 22; -56%) and Wellington (down 21 to 96; -18%), as well as Gisborne, Marlborough, Southland and the West Coast.

The biggest increases were in Waikato (up 81 to 261; +45%), Bay of Plenty (up 55 to 194; +40%) and Northland (up 28 to 70; +70%). Auckland, Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Nelson, Otago and Tasman also recorded increases. With 506 new dwellings consented, Auckland represented 30% of the national total.

In January, the total value of building consents was $1.1bn, up 6.9% compared to January 2015. It comprised $756m residential work (+17%) and $310m non-residential (-12%).