SEPTEMBER CONSENTS TAKE A DIP

New dwelling consents in September 2018 are down, but remain higher than previous year

A total of 2,559 new dwellings were consented in September; this represented a seasonally adjusted 1.5% decrease, following a 6.8% rise in August and 9.7% fall in July.

The figure included 1,673 stand-alone houses, 215 apartments,165 retirement village units, and 506 townhouses or similar.

In the year ended September 2018, the actual number of new dwellings consented was 32,548, up 5.4% from the September 2017 year.

In the regions

Five out of the 16 regions consented more new dwellings in September 2018 compared to September 2017, led by Nelson (up 44 to 58; +314%), Waikato (up 40 to 333; +13%), and West Coast (up 7 to 11; +175%). Canterbury and Gisborne were other regions to consent more dwellings month-on-month.

Wellington (down 90 to 192; -31%), Manawatu (down 46 to 56; -45%) and Bay of Plenty (down 45 to 184; -19%) recorded the biggest decreases. Northland, Auckland, Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki, Otago, Southland, Tasman and Marlborough were the other regions that registered fewer dwelling consents in September 2018 compared to September 2017.