New Zealand Building Permits Jump 17% In January

(RTTNews) - The total number of building permits issued in New Zealand surged a seasonally adjusted 17 percent on month in January, Statistics New Zealand said on Friday - standing at 2,496.

That follows the 5.4 percent gain in December.

In the year ended January 2019, the actual number of new dwellings consented was 33,576, up 7.4 percent from the January 2018 year.

The annual value of non-residential building work consented was NZ$7.1 billion, up 7.0 percent from the January 2018 year.

In January, consents were issued for 1,525 stand-alone houses, 418 townhouses, flats, and unit, 341 apartments and 212 retirement village units.

For stand-alone houses only, the seasonally adjusted number rose 5.8 percent, after falling 3.1 percent in December.

In the year ended January 2019, 33,576 new dwellings were consented, up 7.4 percent from the January 2018 year.

By region, the numbers of new dwellings consented in the year ended January 2019 were: 13,272 in Auckland - up 20 percent; 3,781 in Waikato - up 8.1 percent; 2,743 in Wellington - up 18 percent; 5,635 in rest of North Island - down 3.9 percent; 4,791 in Canterbury - down 3.2 percent; and 3,346 in rest of South Island - down 5.4 percent.

In the year ended January 2019, non-residential building consents totaled NZ$7.1 billion, up 7.0 percent on year. Non-residential construction prices rose 4.5 percent in the December 2018 year.

In the January 2019 year, the non-residential building types with the highest values?were: shops, restaurants, and bars?-?NZ$1.2 billion?(up 43?percent); education buildings?-?NZ$997 million?(down 7.3?percent); and storage buildings?-?NZ$912 million?(up 20 percent).