Building consents dip

The number of building consents issued for new dwelling units in January fell to 2281 on a seasonally adjusted basis, down 7.2 per cent compared with December.

Statistics New Zealand said January was typically a slow month for building consents, mainly because of the summer holidays.

On a trend basis, which removes seasonal influences, consents for 1793 new dwelling units were issued in January.

For the year ended January, consents for 30,544 new dwelling units were issued, down 0.2 per cent on the previous year.

The total trend value of consents issued for non-residential buildings was $242 million, up 11 per cent on January last year.

Ten out of 16 regions recorded fewer new dwelling units in January than the previous year.

Auckland reported the largest decrease, a fall of 687 units.

Of the other regions, Wellington was down 123 units and Otago was down 94 units.

Canterbury showed the largest increase (up 34 units) followed by Manawatu-Wanganui (up 26 units).

- NZPA