March drop in dwelling consents reverses February's rise

March drop in dwelling consents reverses February's rise

29 April 2016

The number of new dwellings consented fell in March after a big rise in the previous month, and a fall in January, Statistics New Zealand said today.

In March, the seasonally adjusted number of new dwellings fell 9.8 percent, following a 10 percent rise in February.

A total of 2,315 new dwellings were consented in March 2016, which was 44 more than in March 2015.

“Dwelling numbers grew strongly in the upper North Island and Otago, but were down in Canterbury compared with March last year,” business indicators manager Clara Eatherley said. Regions with the largest increases in new dwellings were Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Auckland, Otago, and Northland.

The trend for the number of new dwellings consented shows signs of easing, but is still near the highest level since mid-2004.

In March 2016, building consents were valued at:
• $1.5 billion for all buildings (up 9.6 percent from March 2015)
• $1.0 billion for residential buildings (up 10 percent)
• $460 million for non-residential buildings (up 7.8 percent).

For more information about these statistics:

• Visit Building Consents Issued: March 2016

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