Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Building consents top 28,000

Hon Dr Nick Smith
Minister for Building and Housing

31 May 2016
Media Statement

Building consents top 28,000

Building activity has hit an 11-year high, with consents issued for more than 28,000 new dwellings in the year to April, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

Statistics New Zealand data released today shows 28,038 consents were issued, up 12 per cent from 25,068 in the previous year and more than double the 13,236 five years ago.

“This is the longest and strongest period of growth in residential construction in New Zealand history, with four consecutive years of 10 per cent plus growth nationally and 15 per cent plus growth in Auckland. This is important because supply is at the core of New Zealand’s challenges around affordable, social and emergency housing,” Dr Smith says.

The value of residential and commercial building work for the year to April of $17.6 billion is an all-time high and 14 per cent up on the previous year.

“We are on schedule for 85,000 new homes to be built across New Zealand in this term of Parliament, up from 60,000 last term. We are also on track for an all-time record of 36,000 homes being built in Auckland, which would be the largest in any Parliamentary term.

“This rate of growth is double what Labour said they thought was possible under their KiwiBuild policy at the last election.

“These figures show a dramatic growth in building activity in the regions. This building boom began in Christchurch in 2012, spread to Auckland in 2014 and is now flowing to centres such as Whangarei (531 up from 346, a 53 per cent increase), Palmerston North (259 from 165, up 57 per cent), Queenstown Lakes (894 from 638, up 40 per cent), Tauranga (1328 from 1055, up 26 per cent) and Hamilton (1049 from 835, up 26 per cent). These compare to Auckland (9353 from 8155, up 15 per cent) and Christchurch (3905 from 4293, down 9 per cent).

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“We are going to need to maintain this strong growth in building activity to keep up with New Zealand’s population growth, which is the result of record numbers of Kiwis coming home.

“We intend to continue to roll out a consistent and considered plan to improve housing supply and affordability. The next step will be announcing a proposed National Policy Statement on Urban Development Capacity on Thursday.”

ends

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.