The last twelve months have been the busiest on record for new home consents reflecting ongoing support for the biggest Government building programme in decades, says Minister for Building and Construction Poto Williams.

“Today’s figures show this Government is building more houses than ever before and that we are on track to delivering the homes New Zealand needs. It also shows our economic recovery continuing to gain momentum,” Poto Williams said.

“I am pleased to see a significant increase in multi-unit homes in Auckland driving this growth. Increasing housing density in urban areas will support more people to live closer to work, public transport, and community facilities,” Poto Williams said.

“Not only does this show more homes are being built for our whānau, but the strong growth in the sector is creating more jobs for our communities as we continue to secure our economic recovery,” Poto Williams said.

“Construction has been one of the fastest growing industries in terms of employment,” Poto Williams says. “Latest data shows there were an additional 13,225 jobs in the industry in March when compared to the same time last year.”

“This has been a year unlike any other” said Poto Williams. “While the sector is still very much facing the ongoing effects of the pandemic, we are continuing to support the sector to increase capacity and capability to meet demand.”

“Supply chain disruptions are a global phenomenon impacting economies worldwide. While there is no quick fix to these issues, there are a number of cross-government initiatives underway to address supply chain disruptions that focus on better information and planning, and medium-to longer-term work, including the Ministry of Transport inter-agency supply chain forum,” Poto Williams said.

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