A total of 1410 new dwellings were consented in Auckland in January 2021, bringing annual new dwellings over 17,000 for the first time ever.

Mayor Phil Goff says the latest in a string of record months for dwelling consents in Auckland shows the progress the city is making to address the housing shortage.

“The 17,100 new dwellings consented in Auckland over the past year is a 14 per cent increase over the previous 12 months and the highest level of consenting Auckland has seen for decades,” he says.

“In addition, on seasonally adjusted figures, January 2021 was the second strongest month for dwelling consent issuance ever recorded in Auckland.

“Current levels of home building are now above what is required to keep up with population growth. This will help to reduce the shortage of housing in Auckland that has been affecting the city for some years.

“The strong growth in dwellings consented over the past month has been driven by an ongoing shift to medium-density homes, demonstrating the impact that Auckland’s Unitary Plan is having to help create a more compact and well-designed city.

“Auckland also accounted for 98 per cent of all growth in new dwellings consented in New Zealand in the last year, indicating that the city is playing a strong role in leading New Zealand’s construction-led recovery from the COVID-19 crisis,” Mayor Goff says.

Auckland Council’s Regulatory Committee Chair, Councillor Linda Cooper, says, “The number of dwelling consents being issued in Auckland continues to break new records. Importantly, it is now at a level high enough to start eating into the city’s housing shortfall.”

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