Auckland building consents surge to 2004 highs

The number of new homes consented in Auckland for the year to November has topped 10,000 for the first time in 12 years, according to Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith.The 1156 consents approved in Auckland during November made it the strongest month in more than 10 years. The story is being echoed elsewhere throughout New Zealand. The latest figures from the Building and Construction department indicate that 30,303 consents were issued nationally for the year to November 2016. This signals an increase of 13% on the previous November, and is the second consecutive month where more than 30,000 consents were approved.Quality before quantity, warns ministerAccording to the latest government figures, more than 1000 consents per month will be needed if Auckland is to keep pace with burgeoning population growth. But exceeding the current level of growth could compromise quality of construction warns Minister Smith.“This is the fifth straight year of strong growth in construction, with growth averaging more than 20 per cent per annum. This is as fast as you can practically grow a sector as large and as complex as construction without compromising quality,” he said.The value of residential construction nationally increased 23 per cent for the year to $12.45 billion, and all construction increased 15 per cent to $19 billion. In Auckland, residential construction is at $4.8 billion, up 32 per cent, and all construction is worth $7.2 billion, up 30 per cent, according to the latest figures. Image credit: Renaude Hatsedakis