Non-residential building bolsters consents

In four of the first five months of this year the value of non-residential building consents exceeded the valueof residential building consents, Statistics New Zealand said today.

Before this year, the last month non-residential building consent value exceeded residential building consent value was over 10 years ago.

The value of non-residential consents for May 2009 is $479 million, the second highest monthly valuerecorded, and is boosted by consents for sports stadiums around the country.

The highest monthly value ofnon-residential consents was recorded in April 2009.For May 2009, the trend for the number of new housing units authorised, excluding apartment units,continues at a low level, although the decline in the trend is showing signs of easing.

Including apartments,the trend for new housing units has increased for the last four months. Apartment numbers can varyconsiderably from month to month.The seasonally adjusted number of new housing units authorised, excluding apartments, fell 3.1 percentin May 2009.

Including apartments, the seasonally adjusted number of new housing units authorised rose3.5 percent in the same period.

Geoff Bascand
Government Statistician
29 June 2009

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See also the Hot Off The Press information release Building Consents Issued: May 2009