30 Jul 2012

South Island leads building consent rise

1:09 pm on 30 July 2012

An increase in building activity in the South Island has helped drive residential building consents higher.

Statistics New Zealand says the number of consents rebounded a seasonally adjusted 5.7% in June compared to May when it plunged more than 7%.

Excluding volatile apartment figures, permits rose 2.1%.

The number of new housing approvals in Canterbury more than doubled from a record low one year ago, and increased by more than 90% in the Otago region.

In Canterbury, 296 consents were issued in June compared to 133 the same month a year ago.

Earthquake-related building consents in Canterbury totalled $45 million in June, of which more than half was in non-residential work, while $19 million was spent on new housing including 27 homes.

There were strong rises in new housing in Wellington and Otago though consents in Auckland were lower than the previous month.

Total residential building consent approvals jumped 28% compared with last June, while the value rose 27 % to $456 million.