The $5.8 billion construction sector is in recovery mode, underpinned by Canterbury post-earthquake rebuilding and a national improvement in demand.
Building consent figures from Statistics NZ yesterday showed Canterbury and Auckland drove the national increase in new houses in September.
Dwelling consent figures rose 7.8 per cent from August to September but are up 22 per cent annually.
The additions and alterations market recovered slightly from a six-year low of $927 million worth of work in the year to September, 2011 to $1 billion in the latest year.
Auckland builder George Levick estimates he has restored about 200 houses and fixed dozens of residential and commercial structures with weathertightness issues.