New Zealand Home Consents Exceed 40,000 for First Time Since 2023

New Zealand approved 40,581 new home consents for the year ending June 2026, a 19 percent increase from the previous year. This is the first time annual consents have exceeded 40,000 since 2023. The total comprises 21,954 multi-unit homes and 18,627 stand-alone houses. Auckland recorded the highest volume of consents at 17,097, while the Queenstown-Lakes district consented more than 2,000 new homes for the first time on record.

Chris Penk, the Minister for Building and Construction, described the surge as a significant turnaround for a sector that had declined since 2022. He attributed the growth to National-led Government efforts to cut red tape and reform the building system. Planned reforms include replacing joint and several liability with proportionate liability, introducing mandatory home warranties, and setting a target for 80 percent of building inspections to be completed within three working days.

While residential activity grew, non-residential building work declined, with second-quarter consents dropping 9.6 percent to $2.145 billion. Despite this, the construction labor market showed strength with a 35.1 percent increase in job advertisements. The June 2026 quarter recorded 10,964 consents, the strongest second quarter since 2022.