Consents surge in Auckland

Driven mostly by growth in Auckland and the surrounding regions, the number of new dwelling consents issued in October increased by 9% compared to October 2014

In October, 2,349 new dwelling consents were issued, including 1,732 houses and 244 apartments.

Seasonally adjusted, new dwelling consents rose 5.1%, but fell by 0.2% for houses only. However, the trend for the number of new dwellings consented continues to rise and is at its highest level since July 2004. For houses only, it has recovered from recent falls and is at its highest level since September 2007.

For the year ended October, new dwelling consents increased by 8% compared to the same period last year. In total, 26,382 new dwellings have been consented for the year ending October, including 18,598 homes and 2,337 apartments.

In the regions

Eight out of the 16 regions consented more new dwellings in October compared to October 2014, with the trend for the number of new dwellings consented in Auckland hitting an 11-year high.

The three regions to record the largest increases were Auckland (up 214 to 805; +36%), Bay of Plenty (up 85 to 205; +71%) and Waikato (up 65 to 259; +34%). Other regions to record an increase were Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Southland, Taranaki and Wellington.

The three greatest decreases were recorded in Canterbury (down 197 to 489; -29%), Tasman (down eight to 23; -26%) and Nelson (down six to ten; -38%). Marlborough, Northland and the West Coast were the other regions to consent less dwellings in October than in October 2014. Gisborne and Otago recorded no change.

The value of non-residential building work consented in October 2015 was $479 million, up $22 million (4.9%) compared with the same month in 2014.

The regions that consented the most non-residential building work were:

• Auckland – $174 million.
• Canterbury – $88 million.
• Otago – $55 million.

Consent values total $1.4 billion

The total value of building work consented in October was $1.4 billion – comprising $898 million of residential work, and $479 million of non-residential work.

For the year ended October, compared with October 2014, the value of building consents increased for:

All buildings – up $1.6bn (11%) to $16bn.

Residential buildings – up $829m (9%) to $10bn.

Non-residential buildings – up $765m (16%) to $5.7bn.