Mark Andrews, a second-year building apprentice, is one of many in the industry who are benefiting from Northland's building boom. Photo / John Stone
Mark Andrews, a second-year building apprentice, is one of many in the industry who are benefiting from Northland's building boom. Photo / John Stone
When Mark Andrews started as a first-year building apprentice at NorthTec last year there were only about 10 others in his course.
Now, that number has tripled and industry experts said Northland's building boom has something to do with it.
Statistics New Zealand figures show 103 dwellings - $35 million worth - were granted consent in Northland in April, more than twice the 46 buildings given consent in April 2015 that were worth $14 million.
Houses are going up left, right and centre, it's really positive.
The increase in consents has also led to an increase in first year building apprentices.
NorthTec Industry Training Association Building co-ordinator Mark Pearson said the number of first-year apprentices coming through the course had increased from about 10 last year to 30 this year and credited the increase to the building boom and NorthTec's block courses.
"It was really slow last year but there's been a labour shortage, people are looking to train apprentices up," he said.
Mr Andrews, 37, is a second-year building apprentice who is benefiting from the building boom.
"There are a lot of consents at the moment and a lot of them are residential. Houses are going up left, right and centre, it's really positive, " he said.
Mr Andrews became an apprentice after deciding to "knuckle down" and he now works for Guyco Construction in Whangarei.
"It's a decent industry, you can take it anywhere. I needed to knuckle down. Before I was in hospitality and retail and those are all well and good but it doesn't really pay the bills."
Mr Andrews said he mainly works on commercial building sites and said the commercial sector was also going well.
"It's really good. There are new buildings popping up all over the place, that's what I'm hearing in the office."
Mark Dobbs, who is on the board of directors of the New Zealand Certified Builders Association, also said construction companies were finding it difficult to find skilled labour so saw benefits in training people up.
Northland is going through a building boom as this subdivision, under way at Kamo shows. Photo / Michael Cunningham
The Statistics NZ figures for April were higher in number and value than any other month in the last year. Most of these dwellings would be built in Whangarei - 56 - with 24 in the Far North and 23 throughout Kaipara.
Mr Dobbs said the boom showed no signs of slowing down soon.
"It's the residential side that's booming, I think it's a lot of Aucklanders coming north and we know a lot of people are moving home from Australia.
"It's an economical place compared to Auckland. Land is relatively cheap, although prices are creeping up," he said.
Mr Dobbs said from what he understood, people decided to build rather than purchase a home in Northland because there was not a lot of "good stock" on the market.
