Number of New Dwelling Units Remains Steady

Building Consents Issued: March 2006

28 April 2006

Number of New Dwelling Units Remains Steady

Consents for 2,299 new dwelling units were issued for March 2006, Statistics New Zealand said today. Since April 2005, the number of new dwelling units issued each month has ranged between 1,900 and 2,445. In March 2005, 3,027 consents were issued for new dwelling units.

On 31 March 2005, higher consent application fees were introduced as a result of an increase to the Department of Building and Housing levy, along with new building requirements in the new Building Act 2004. These changes applied to consents issued on or after 31 March 2005 and contributed to the higher number of consents issued in March 2005. This should be noted when comparing the figures for March 2006 with March 2005.

Consents were issued for 2,079 new dwelling units (excluding apartment units) in March 2006, only 66 units fewer than in March 2005. The trend for the number of new dwelling units (excluding apartment units) has shown some small decreases since November 2005.

The total value of consents issued for residential buildings was $625 million, down $119 million (16 percent) from March 2005. The trend for the value of residential buildings remains at a high level.

The total value of consents issued for non-residential buildings was $369 million in March 2006, down $45 million (11 percent) from March 2005. The largest contributor to the March 2006 value was office and administration buildings, at $64 million. The trend for the value of non-residential buildings remains at a high level.

Brian Pink
Government Statistician

ENDS

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