Consent numbers up 26%

The latest consenting figures show another increase for October 2021, as many regions saw jumps of more than 30% compared to the same period in 2020

There were 47,715 new home consents issued in the October 2021 – a 26% rise on figures from the previous October year.

However, the number of seasonally adjusted new dwellings consented fell for a second month in a row, following six months of continuous growth. October 2021 numbers fell 2%, after falling 2% in September 2021.

Industry reflections

According to Stats NZ construction statistics manager Michael Heslop, the numbers continue to break records.

“The year ended October 2021 marks another record for the annual number of new homes consented. The annual number of new homes consented has been setting new records since March 2021 when the previous high (in the year ended February 1974) of 40,025 was surpassed for the first time.”

Canterbury consented 7,500 new dwellings in the year ended October 2021 – a landmark achievement.

“It is interesting to note that the number of new homes consented in Canterbury is now higher than during the 2014 post-earthquake peak when a record 7,308 homes were consented,” Heslop said.

Up and up

Every region bar one experienced an increase in new dwellings consented in the year ending October 2021, compared with October 2020 year end, led by Gisborne (up 76%), West Coast (up 68%), Northland (up 63%), Southland (up 36%) and Bay of Plenty (up 32%).

Canterbury (up 31%), Waikato (up 23%) and Wellington (up 14%) also experienced growth. Tasman fell by 8.7%.

New homes consented per 1,000 residents across New Zealand increased to 9.3, from 7.5 in the October 2020 year.

Auckland rose from 9.1 homes consented per 1,000 residents in 2020 to 11.6 – while Canterbury’s construction boom was characterised by its rise of 8.9 to 11.5.

Boom for non-residential building consents

In the year ended October 2021, non-residential building consents totalled $8bn, up 17% from the October 2020 year. The building types with the highest value were:

• Education buildings – $1.5bn (up 45%).
• Factories – $1.1.bn (up 56%).
• Offices, administration, and public transport buildings – $1bn (down 2.2%).