By Gavin Evans
Jan. 11 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand councils consented almost 32,800 new dwellings in the year through November, 5.3
percent more than a year earlier, according to Stats NZ.
That growth was driven by a 21 percent increase in Auckland to 12,800, and a 21 percent increase in the Wellington
region, where 2,727 consents for homes, apartments and retirement units were issued during the 12-month period.
"Stand-alone houses accounted for nearly two-thirds of new homes consented in the year ended November," construction
statistics manager Melissa McKenzie said. "We saw a sustained increase in apartments, as well as townhouses, flats, and
units, particularly in Auckland."
Parts of New Zealand are in a sustained building boom, with economic growth and several years of strong net migration
maintaining activity, even as Canterbury’s post-earthquake home construction has slowed.
Auckland, Waikato and Wellington have dominated that recent growth, with eight of the country’s 16 regions reporting
declines in dwelling consents relative to the November 2017 year.
Stats NZ noted that consents in the rest of the North Island fell 8.1 percent to 5,470 in the year through November.
Dwelling consents in Canterbury were down 8.8 percent at 4,668, with those in the rest of the South Island down 2.5
percent at 3,418.
ASB said that, while consent issuance is down from earlier in 2018, it is likely to remain “relatively elevated” in
order to catch-up with pent-up housing demand.
“We are encouraged by the strong supply response evident in Wellington building consents over October and November. In
contrast, the signs of slowing building consents in Auckland over recent months, despite the well-publicised housing
shortage, remains puzzling,” the bank said in a note to clients.
It noted that the $831 million of non-residential work approved in November was the second highest on record.
“There are no signs of a slowdown in commercial construction, despite weak business confidence levels seen over the
year.”
Monthly consent numbers are volatile. Historically consents for new homes tended to peak mid-year, for summer
construction, but the trend to more apartments and the growth of the retirement home sector has increased the
variability in the data.
A total of 3,120 consents were issued for all types of homes in November, up almost 7 percent from October but down 4.4
percent from a year earlier. It was the most since May, when more than 3,400 consents were issued, boosted by big
apartment and retirement projects.
Stats NZ said that, on a seasonally-adjusted basis, the November numbers fell 2 percent from October, but were 1.9
percent higher on a smoothed trend basis.
Westpac said the November decline was concentrated in the multiple-dwelling data and was most pronounced in Auckland.
“Given how volatile consents for multiple dwellings can be, this one-month decline is of little concern,” chief
economist Dominick Stephens said in a note.
“We continue to expect a pick-up in residential building activity during 2019, although beyond that we expect
construction sector growth to tail off.”
(BusinessDesk)