Housing consents fall to record low

The trend for the number of new homes authorised, including apartments, has fallen steadily since April 2010, Statistics New Zealand said today. Since April, it has fallen 28 percent to the lowest level since the series began in 1982.

In March 2011, consents were issued for:

• 1,047 new homes, excluding apartments
• 40 new apartment units.

The value of consents issued for residential buildings was $420 million in March 2011, down 20 percent compared with March 2010, while the value of non-residential buildings fell 0.2 percent to $344 million.
Fewer new homes were authorised in 12 of New Zealand's 16 regions in March 2011 compared with March 2010. In Canterbury, only 166 new homes were authorised; this is just over half the number that were authorised in March 2010, and is the largest fall of any region.

In Canterbury, about 20 earthquake-related consents were identified, with a combined value of $11 million, including two new dwellings.

Geoff Bascand 4 May 2011
Government Statistician