Building consents · Stats NZ figures to September 2026
Building consents in New Zealand
41,091 new homes were consented in New Zealand in the year to September 2026, up 18% on the year before. They also consented $8.72b of non-residential building work, down 3% on the year before. Below: 382,229 consents we hold in New Zealand, searchable and on the map.
New homes consented each month
Dwellings in new building consents, New Zealand, the last five years, with Stats NZ’s trend line through the month-to-month noise.
Since 1991: houses and everything else
New homes consented each year, houses against townhouses, flats, units, apartments and retirement village units. The most in one year was 49,538 in 2022.
Non-residential building work each month
The value of new and altered non-residential buildings consented — offices, shops, factories, warehouses, farm buildings, schools, hospitals — New Zealand, the last five years.
What is being built
Non-residential building work consented in the year to September 2026, by type: the value of new and altered work, new floor area, and what new floor area cost to build per square metre.
- Offices$1.46b
180 buildings · 121,807 m² new floor area · $4,740/m² new · −21% on the year before
- Education$1.42b
273 buildings · 153,571 m² new floor area · $6,444/m² new · +12% on the year before
- Warehouses and storage$1.33b
330 buildings · 637,997 m² new floor area · $1,901/m² new · 0% on the year before
- Factories and industrial$972m
298 buildings · 252,754 m² new floor area · $2,872/m² new · −28% on the year before
- Shops, restaurants and bars$806m
141 buildings · 131,944 m² new floor area · $3,403/m² new · −1% on the year before
- Hospitals and health$733m
94 buildings · 73,398 m² new floor area · $6,196/m² new · −14% on the year before
- Social, cultural and religious$729m
213 buildings · 87,983 m² new floor area · $4,810/m² new · −11% on the year before
- Hostels, boarding houses and prisons$532m
68 buildings · 68,259 m² new floor area · $6,615/m² new · +183% on the year before
- Hotels and motels$372m
88 buildings · 50,941 m² new floor area · $4,612/m² new · +30% on the year before
- Farm buildings$371m
2,010 buildings · 719,402 m² new floor area · $493/m² new · +38% on the year before
Regions compared
The year to September 2026 against the year before.
| Region | New homes | Change | Non-residential | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland | 17,131 | +16% | $3.37b | +5% |
| Canterbury | 8,906 | +31% | $1.34b | −14% |
| Waikato | 3,265 | +13% | $808m | +18% |
| Otago | 2,910 | +9% | $502m | +4% |
| Wellington | 2,403 | +15% | $639m | −46% |
| Bay of Plenty | 1,761 | +27% | $445m | +4% |
| Manawatu-Whanganui | 1,042 | +1% | $359m | +2% |
| Northland | 888 | +22% | $246m | +52% |
| Hawke's Bay | 775 | +15% | $347m | +12% |
| Southland | 454 | +21% | $137m | −36% |
| Taranaki | 430 | −2% | $128m | +25% |
| Tasman | 280 | −5% | $142m | +81% |
| Nelson | 279 | +13% | $52.9m | −42% |
| Gisborne | 209 | +34% | $40.3m | −9% |
| Marlborough | 203 | +16% | $127m | +122% |
| West Coast | 155 | −15% | $32.6m | −17% |
Consents on record in New Zealand
Individual building consents we hold, each on its property: 382,229 from 1 Jan 1974 to 22 Oct 2026. Councils publish their records unevenly, so these are what we have, not every consent issued — for the full count, see the official figures above.
What the work is
Consents in the last five years by the kind of work their description names.
- Alterations and additions34,209
6,175 in the last 12 months · typically $39k
- New homes33,249
7,843 in the last 12 months · typically $532k
- Fires and heating27,643
5,014 in the last 12 months · typically $5,500
- Garages, sheds and carports10,663
1,663 in the last 12 months · typically $56k
- Pools and spas5,408
853 in the last 12 months · typically $50k
- Plumbing, drainage and wastewater4,990
904 in the last 12 months · typically $15k
- Multiple homes4,252
1,414 in the last 12 months · typically $1.3m
- Decks, pergolas and verandahs3,591
590 in the last 12 months · typically $50k
- Relocated buildings3,478
680 in the last 12 months · typically $70k
- Repairs, recladding and strengthening2,900
578 in the last 12 months · typically $95k
Consents on record by month
The last three years. A recent dip is often records still to arrive.
Largest in the last 12 months
- $46mStage 2 of 2 - Construction of 7 storey hotel - Stage 2 includes Superstructure. Services, Architecture, Facade and Fire 2 Hylton Place, Queenstown
- $20mBuilding Additions & Alterations (Redevelopment of Theatre Royal & , Timaru
- $18.3mErect Building (Stadium) 70 Morgans Road, Glenwood
- $16.8mPbc e2e - rbw. 8x new attached two storey units. Unit 20-21 & units 26-27 are duplexes. Each with three bedrooms & 2.5 bathrooms. Units 22-25 each with two bedrooms, one bathrm. New retention ta 13 Freeland Avenue, Mount Roskill
- $15.1mMulti-unit dwg - new multi unit retirement villas - 40 blocks of 2-3 bdrm, 2 bathrm units & attached gge 72 Exploration Way, Whitby
382,229 consents
- Minor dwellings and sleepouts
Proposed 1-bedroom minor dwelling & onsite wastewater system. Building is a relocation of an existing minor dwelling on site
- Alterations and additions
Amend EBC-2027-22/0 from High to Very High wind: update site wind note, elevation E2 risk matrices and bracing sheet 11. N1 and P1 upgraded to DP2-2 with 12 kN end hold-downs. Revised drawings and bracing calculations attached; slab confirmation by Vert-X
- New homes
New 3 bedroom single story dwelling with single cladding type, attached garage & new retaining wall
- Alterations and additions
Proposed internal alterations with new windows in existing concrete tilt slab. New plumbing to new shower room. Proposed new shed with engineered retaining walls
- New homes
Construct 3 bedroom single level residential dwelling
- Commercial alterations
Lot 5 - 2-bedroom factory build dwelling with gable and roof
- Commercial alterations
Lot 7 - 2-bedroom factory build dwelling with gable and roof
- Commercial alterations
Three new detached single-storey retail buildings
- Alterations and additions
Changes to joinery opening sizes and relocation of gas bottles and califont
- Minor dwellings and sleepouts
To delete the previously proposed alterations to the existing dwelling bathroom. The existing dwelling bathroom is to remain. The new bathroom within the garage/sleepout remains.
- Decks, pergolas and verandahs
Proposed 1 bedroom dwelling with attached deck
- Alterations and additions
Amendment is to remove the modspace prefab Structure from the consent, foundation framing, roof, floor
- Relocated buildings
Relocated dwelling onto pile foundation, add septic tank and field, water tanks & soak trench for overflow
- Garages, sheds and carports
Proposed 4-bedroom dwelling with attached garage & onsite wastewater system
- Plumbing, drainage and wastewater
Installation of on-site wastewater
- Plumbing, drainage and wastewater
Installation of on-site wastewater.
- Plumbing, drainage and wastewater
Installation of on-site wastewater.
- Plumbing, drainage and wastewater
Wastewater Treatment System installation
- Fit-outs
Proposed new dentist practice, new internal wall, plumbing, drainage & internal fit out
- Decks, pergolas and verandahs
New Deck over 1m high
- Alterations and additions
Proposed 3 Bedroom dwelling on Ribraft slab with Mitek trusses and onsite wastewater design (TP58) and Stormwater report (TP10)
- Commercial alterations
Lot 3 Road 1 at 10 Rimu Place - 2-bedroom factory build dwelling with gable and roof
- Commercial alterations
Lot 80 - 3-bedroom factory build dwelling with multiple cladding types and mono pitch roof
- Pools and spas
Swimming Pool
- Alterations and additions
4-bedroom dwelling with Mono Pitch roof
ResidentialCommercial The dots are this page of the list.
Regions in New Zealand
Where the consents we hold are, most in the last 12 months first.
- Auckland7,803 / 49,781
- Otago3,403 / 63,005
- Canterbury2,874 / 60,037
- Waikato2,676 / 22,189
- Northland2,069 / 51,988
- Manawatū-Whanganui1,692 / 13,833
- Bay of Plenty1,494 / 14,805
- Wellington1,286 / 11,319
- Southland1,039 / 8,898
- Hawke's Bay952 / 16,132
- Taranaki764 / 6,823
- Tasman519 / 3,924
- Marlborough469 / 53,579
- West Coast326 / 2,463
- Gisborne257 / 2,557
- Nelson117 / 896
Questions
How many building consents were issued in New Zealand?
In the year to September 2026, Stats NZ counted 41,091 new homes consented in New Zealand, with $20.7b of residential and $8.72b of non-residential building work.
What is a building consent?
Written approval from a council (a building consent authority) that planned building work complies with the Building Code. Most new buildings, additions, structural alterations, fires and plumbing and drainage work need one; some minor work is exempt under Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004.
Where do these figures come from?
The official counts are Stats NZ’s monthly Building consents issued release (CC BY 4.0), covering every consent every council issues. The individual consents listed are ones we hold from councils’ records and other public sources; they are not a complete list for every council.