Cranes rise on city skylines

Cranes highlight the building and property market boom. Photo / Greg Bowker

New Zealand has 72 large fixed cranes up - 29 in Auckland, 23 in Christchurch, nine in Wellington, five in Queenstown, three in Tauranga, two in Hamilton and one in Dunedin.

Chris Haines, Rider Levett Bucknall Auckland director, said his company's crane index showed how active the construction sector was because 43 new cranes went up in the past six months, mainly in Auckland and Christchurch.

Construction work nationally last year was up 42 per cent on 2012, Haines said.

Thirteen new Auckland cranes were put up since last year's third quarter, including on Dominion Rd, Lynn Mall, and city office buildings at Wynyard and Victoria St West.

Further cranes were erected at the Auckland Theatre Company at Wynyard, Rothesay Bay apartments, Hobson St, Summit on Karangahape Rd, Albany's Rose Gardens apartments and elsewhere, Haines said.

Residential projects represent 37 per cent of Auckland crane work, followed by civil projects at 22 per cent and commercial at 19 per cent.