Consents suffer Easter slump

Lower activity in Canterbury a significant factor in national downturn

In April, 2,106 new dwellings were consented – more than 200 fewer compared to the same month last year. Seasonally adjusted, the number of new dwellings consented fell by 7.6%, following a 1.2% fall in March.

In its information release, Statistics New Zealand says the fall was driven by the timing of Easter. For houses only, the slide was less pronounced, with the 1,487 houses consented representing a seasonally adjusted 0.4%. fall.

The North Island accounted for almost three-quarters of all new dwellings consented, with numbers in the South Island driven down by a large decrease in Canterbury. In April 2016, new dwelling consents in the Mainland accounted for more than half of the national total.

In the regions

Nine out of the 16 regions consented more new dwellings in April 2017 compared to April 2016, led by Otago (up 43 to 149; +41%), Auckland (up 27 to 726; +4%) and Nelson (up 12 to 23; +109%). Other regions to record an increase were Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Waikato and West Coast.

The biggest decreases were in Canterbury (down 323 to 333; -49%); Northland (down 16 to 87; -16%) and Tasman (down nine to 28; -24%). The other regions to consent fewer new dwellings in April 2017 compared to April 2016 were Hawke’s Bay, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman and Wellington.

Consents for all buildings total $1.3 bn

Including alterations, consents for all buildings totalled $1.3bn in April 2017:

• $921m for residential buildings.
• $411m for non-residential buildings.

In the year ended April 2017, consents for all buildings totalled $19.1bn (up 12% from the previous year):

• $12.7bn for residential buildings (up 13%).
• $6.4bn for non-residential buildings (up 9.7%).