Consents heating up

A total of 2,926 new dwellings were consented in October, representing a seasonally adjusted 1.5% increase, following a 1.5% decrease in September and 6.8% rise in August.

The figure included 2,032 stand-alone houses, 88 apartments, 143 retirement village units, and 663 townhouses or similar.

In the year ended October 2018, the actual number of new dwellings consented was 32,925 — up 6.7% from the October 2017 year.

In the regions

12 out of the 16 regions consented more dwellings in October 2018 compared to October 2017, led by West Coast (up 9 to 14; +180%), Nelson (up 25 to 45; +125%), and Southland (up 13 to 30; +76%). Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Wellington, Canterbury, Otago, and Tasman were other regions to consent more dwellings month-on-month.

Gisborne (down 9 to 5; -64%), Marlborough (down 27 to 19; -58%), Taranaki (down 6 to 31; -16%), and Bay of Plenty (down 7 to 170; -4%) recorded the biggest decreases in registered dwelling consents in October 2018 compared to October 2017.

Non-residential building consents

In the year ended October 2018, non-residential building consents totalled $6.8 billion, up 4.5% from the October 2017 year. The building types with the highest value were:

• Education buildings — $946m
• Offices, administration, and public transport buildings — $879m
• Shops, restaurants, and bars — $1.1bn