29 November 2007
Housing consents decline
The trend for the number of new housing units authorised is declining, Statistics New Zealand said today.
The latest five months all show a decrease.
There were 2,085 new housing units authorised in October 2007, 292 fewer than in October 2006. Most of this decrease
came from apartment consents, which were down by 260 units. Compared with October 2006, the largest decreases were in
Auckland, down 317 units (because of a high number of apartments in October 2006), and in Waikato, down 77 units. There
were 272 fewer housing units authorised in the North Island and 20 fewer in the South Island.
Residential building consents totalled $646 million in October 2007, down 3.4 percent from October 2006.
The trend value for residential buildings is declining. Non-residential building consents totalled $381 million in
October 2007, up 15 percent from October 2006. The largest increase was for offices and administration buildings. Geoff
Bascand Government Statistician 29 November 2007
ENDS