Consents soften in June

New dwelling consents hit 12-month high in Wellington despite overall dip in June

A total of 2,792 new dwellings were consented in June, which represented a seasonally adjusted fall of 7.6% compared to a 6.9% rise in May.

The figure included 1,730 stand-alone houses and 323 apartments (including 229 in Wellington city). For the year ended June, 32,860 new dwellings were consented – a 7.9% increase on the June 2017 year.

During the same period, a record 2,781 homes were consented in the wider Wellington region – the highest number recorded since regional records began in 1991. Approximately 40% of those dwellings were consented in central Wellington.

In the regions

Nine out of the 16 regions consented more new dwellings in June 2018 compared to June 2017, led by Wellington (up 120 to 389; +45%), Auckland (up 95 to 1,001; +10%) and Canterbury (up 50 to 392; +15%). Gisborne, Marlborough, Nelson, Southland, Waikato and West Coast were the other regions to consent more new dwellings month-on-month.

Bay of Plenty (down 69 to 157; -31%), Otago (down 31 to 151; -17%) and Northland (down 12 to 83; -13%) recorded the biggest decreases. Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui and Taranaki were the other regions to consent fewer dwellings in June 2018 compared to June 2017.

Non-residential building consents total $6.9bn

In the year ended June 2018, non-residential building consents totalled $6.9 billion, up 10% from the June 2017 year. The building types with the highest values were:

Education buildings – $1.2bn.

Offices, administration, and public transport buildings – $1.1bn.

Shops, restaurants, and bars – $1.0bn.