RECORD RESIDENTIAL CONSENTS

A record 10,063 townhouses, flats, and units were consented in the August 2020 year, Stats NZ has reported

In total, 3,147 new homes were consented in August 2020. When accounting for seasonality, there was a small increase of 0.3% from July 2020.

“We have seen the number of new homes consented remain quite stable over the last three months, following some dramatic movements between March and May when the nation-wide lockdown had the biggest impact,” said acting construction indicators manager Dave Adair.

“The strong consent numbers for new homes in recent months means that there is a relatively large amount of residential building work planned for the future,” said Adair.

The August figure comprised of 1,791 standalone houses; 1,048 townhouses, flats, and units; 205 apartments; and 103 retirement village units. In the year ended August 2020, the total number of dwellings consented was 37,467 — up 5.1% from the year ended August 2019.

In the regions

Four of the 16 regions consented more dwellings in August 2020 compared to August 2019, led by Hawke’s Bay (up 19 to 84; +29%), Taranaki (up 9 to 52; + 21%) and Wellington (up 38 to 263, +17%). Gisborne also showed an increase in consented dwellings.

Nelson and Marlborough saw no change in dwellings consented in August 2020 compared to August 2019.

The ten remaining regions saw a decrease in dwellings consented over the same period, led by Southland (down 113 to 669; -26%), Canterbury (down 76 to 435; -14.9%) and Waikato (down 30 to 315; -8.7%). Northland, Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Manawatu-Whanganui, Tasman, West Coast, and Otago also experienced decreases.

Non-residential building consents

In the year ended August 2020, non-residential building consents totalled $6.8bn, down 9.4% from the August 2019 year. The building types with the highest value were:

• Education buildings —$1.1bn (-5.8%)
• Storage buildings — $1.0bn (+5.8%)
• Offices, administration, and public transport buildings – $952m (-1.8%)