Construction reaches new heights

Increase in crane numbers a visual indicator of building activity

The latest edition of the Rider Levett Bucknall Crane Index shows that the number of cranes dotting New Zealand skylines has increased by 38% since the first index was published in the second quarter of 2014.

The increase is attributed to the rising number of multi-storey residential developments being constructed. The current index, which covers the 2016 second quarter, shows 98 cranes working on construction sites across the country – with 62 commissioned and 43 removed for a net gain of 21 cranes since the 2015 final quarter index was published.

There was a gain of one crane in commercial construction, as its total share of all cranes dropped from 51% in the previous index to 42%. The residential sector added 12 cranes, for a total of 34, and now accounts for 35% of working cranes in New Zealand.

The next two largest sectors were civil and education, with a total of six and eight cranes respectively.

Regional activity

As the dominant hub of the current construction boom, Auckland unsurprisingly accounted for close to 50% of all working cranes in New Zealand, with 47.

Of those, 29 are in residential – up 87% on the previous index. The commercial sector recorded a 33% decrease, with only four working cranes. Despite the decrease, the report predicts the commercial sector will remain strong given the demand on office space in Auckland and the number of new commercial builds in the pipeline.

There was a significant increase in Hamilton, up from two to five, with the cranes spread across the commercial, civic and health sectors. Tauranga, which had zero cranes in the previous index, now has one each in the commercial and education sectors.

Numbers in Wellington remained steady at nine, with five in commercial, two in residential and two in education. Residential projects under way in the capital include the Victoria Street apartments and another on Taranaki Street.

On the mainland, numbers in Christchurch were almost unchanged, down to 30 from 31 in the previous index. Of all working cranes in the Garden City, 93% are on commercial projects with the remainder in the education sector.

Activity remained steady further south in Dunedin and Queenstown, with one and four working cranes respectively.