The number of new homes consented rose 20 per cent in the year ended July 2021, compared with the same period in 2020, Stats NZ says.

'There were 45,119 new homes consented in the July 2021 year, a 20 percent rise from the previous July year,” says Michael Heslop, construction statistics manager.

'New dwelling numbers rose across all regions except Marlborough and Otago in the latest year.”

The year ended July 2020 included the Covid-19 level 4 lockdown period in late March and April 2020, which disrupted consent issuance across many territorial authorities.

'The annual number of new homes consented rose across the North Island, led by a 29 percent rise in Auckland in the July 2021 year. In Canterbury, the annual number of new homes consented rose 19 per cent, while they decreased 1.1 per cent across the rest of the South Island.”

By region, the numbers of new homes consented in the year ended July 2021 (compared with the July 2020 year) were:

• 19,158 in Auckland (up 29 per cent)
• 4,751 in Waikato (up 15 per cent)
• 2,496 in Bay of Plenty (up 24 per cent)
• 3,268 in Wellington (up 4.6 per cent)
• 15,408 in North Island excluding Auckland (up 17 per cent)
• 6,811 in Canterbury (up 19 per cent)
• 2,063 in Otago (down 8.5 per cent)
• 3,734 in South Island excluding Canterbury (down 1.1 per cent).