Wellington construction steps up a gear

Wellington construction steps up a gear

6 December 2017

Building activity in the Wellington region has grown strongly over the past year, Stats NZ said today. The value of activity rose 27 percent on the previous September year – the largest annual increase ever recorded for Wellington.

In the year ended September 2017, the value of building work put in place in the region totalled $1.7 billion (up $0.4 billion). Over the same period, New Zealand construction prices rose over 5 percent.

“Construction in Wellington has picked up noticeably this year, almost tripling the growth rate seen last year. In 2016, Wellington was outpaced by growth in other regions, but in 2017, Wellington had the strongest growth in percentage terms,” construction statistics manager Melissa McKenzie said.

Wellington residential building activity in the September 2017 year cost $956 million (up 33 percent from the previous year). This included $704 million for new homes (such as houses, apartment buildings, and retirement village units). The remaining $252 million was for alterations to existing residential buildings.

Non-residential building activity cost $759 million (up 19 percent). This included $324 million for office and public transport buildings, and $122 million for education buildings.

These statistics include both new buildings and alterations to existing buildings, but exclude work that didn’t require a building consent.

Building activity statistics measure the value of building work put in place each quarter, unlike building consent statistics, which measure building intentions.

The Wellington region encompasses Porirua, Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, and Wellington cities, as well as Kapiti Coast, Masterton, Carterton, South Wairarapa, and part of the Tararua district.

For more information about these statistics:
• Visit Wellington construction steps up a gear

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