Building consents · Stats NZ figures to September 2026
Building consents in Nelson
279 new homes were consented in the Nelson City council area in the year to September 2026, up 13% on the year before. They also consented $52.9m of non-residential building work, down 42% on the year before. Below: 835 consents we hold in Nelson, searchable and on the map.
Stats NZ publishes building consents down to the council, so the official figures on this page are for the Nelson City council area.
New homes consented each month
Dwellings in new building consents, Nelson City, the last five years.
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 458 in 1993.
Non-residential building work each month
The value of new and altered non-residential buildings consented — offices, shops, factories, warehouses, farm buildings, schools, hospitals — Nelson City, 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.
- Hospitals and health$18.7m
3 buildings · 1,015 m² new floor area · $14,039/m² new · +561% on the year before
- Factories and industrial$9.7m
4 buildings · 3,580 m² new floor area · $2,106/m² new · +22% on the year before
- Education$6.8m
2 buildings · 1,711 m² new floor area · $2,747/m² new · −27% on the year before
- Shops, restaurants and bars$4.9m
−87% on the year before
- Offices$4.9m
−40% on the year before
- Hotels and motels$4m
2 buildings · 65 m² new floor area · $49,385/m² new · +119% on the year before
- Warehouses and storage$2.4m
2 buildings · 227 m² new floor area · $6,608/m² new · −89% on the year before
- Social, cultural and religious$1.4m
−11% on the year before
- Farm buildings$44k
1 building · 360 m² new floor area · $122/m² new · −85% on the year before
Consents on record in Nelson
Individual building consents we hold, each on its property: 835 from 1 Jul 2019 to 1 Sep 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.
- Fires and heating177
28 in the last 12 months · typically $6,000
- Alterations and additions157
26 in the last 12 months · typically $22k
- New homes126
23 in the last 12 months · typically $500k
- Garages, sheds and carports27
6 in the last 12 months · typically $55k
- Multiple homes25
8 in the last 12 months · typically $768k
- Pools and spas20
3 in the last 12 months · typically $58k
- Plumbing, drainage and wastewater11
3 in the last 12 months · typically $15k
- Decks, pergolas and verandahs10
2 in the last 12 months · typically $37k
- Retaining walls8
2 in the last 12 months · typically $48k
- Minor dwellings and sleepouts7
2 in the last 12 months · typically $60k
Consents on record by month
The last three years. A recent dip is often records still to arrive.
Largest in the last 12 months
- $10mStage 2 - 6x 1-bdrm, 6x 2-bdrm & 6x 3-bdrm 183 Rutherford Street, Nelson
- $2.6mRbw- three x two-storey detached dwgs: lot1,2,3 with four bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, a living, a dining, a kitchen, a family & dbl gge; private drainage; detention tank. 1 Holly Way, Tāhunanui
- $1.6mConstruct a 70m2 timber framed detached res housing 1 View Mount, Stoke
- $1.2m3 bdrm dwg & rockfall 36 Davies Drive, Atawhai
- $1.1m4 x multi unit dwgs 23 Tui Glen Road, Atawhai
835 consents
- Multiple homes$2.6m
Rbw- three x two-storey detached dwgs: lot1,2,3 with four bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, a living, a dining, a kitchen, a family & dbl gge; private drainage; detention tank.
- Pools and spas$20k
Install pool barrier
- Alterations and additions$81k
Alterations to dwg
- Fires and heating$7,000
Woodsman serene petite fire
- Alterations and additions$10k
Firenzo lady kitchener platfor
- Minor dwellings and sleepouts$9,000
Warmington studio stove 14 fir
- Alterations and additions$10k
Firenzo contessa leg uleb fire
- Alterations and additions$8,000
Firenzo viking ag wetback fire
- Fires and heating$8,500
Masport Akaroa mkii woodstacke
- Alterations and additions$260k
R2 - add & alt to two-storey detached dwg. Rear add for scullery, wc, bathrm, laundry, officer, & shed. New roofing to existing dwg.
- Fires and heating$7,000
Housing (detached dwg) - install a fsf pyro classic woodburner & flue
- Garages, sheds and carports$420k
Extension to an existing house with proposed new gge attached. Includes new cladding, windows, & small changes to the internal layout
- Decks, pergolas and verandahs$150k
Amendment to bco10376100 - enlarging back extension with new rear deck
- New homes$398k
Dwg with attached gge
- Other new buildings$1.6m
Construct a 70m2 timber framed detached res housing
- New homes$792k
3-bdrm dwg
- Alterations and additions$9,000
Firenzo contessa platform uleb
- Alterations and additions$5,000
Replace floor & wall tiles
- Fires and heating$7,200
Metro smart insert fire
- Alterations and additions$1
Amendment to aba-2025-1016 - revise part roof cladding
- Fires and heating$6,000
Install solid fuel burner in dwg
- Alterations and additions$6,000
Rbw - housing (multi-unit dwg) - remove & reinstate the existing smart meter board, install the missing noiseline gib lining, fire-stop all penetrations, & make good the affected wall lining
- Garages, sheds and carports$200k
Gge 7 wilson drive Ohoka lot 6 dp 60989
- New homes$485k
Dwg with attached gge 5 merrin St Kaiapoi lot 359 dp 623830
- Repairs, recladding and strengthening$39k
Partial re-cladding
ResidentialCommercial The dots are this page of the list.
Suburbs in Nelson
Where the consents we hold are, most in the last 12 months first.
- Stoke39 / 296
- Atawhai15 / 61
- Nelson7 / 35
- Tāhunanui7 / 28
- The Brook4 / 50
- Bishopdale4 / 25
- Wakatu4 / 21
- Monaco4 / 13
- The Wood3 / 36
- Toi Toi3 / 33
- Enner Glynn3 / 29
- Marybank3 / 25
- Nelson South2 / 41
- Annesbrook2 / 14
- Beachville2 / 13
- Moana2 / 6
- Stepneyville1 / 35
- Maitai1 / 25
- Wakapuaka1 / 7
- Glenduan0 / 14
- Washington Valley0 / 12
- Todds Valley0 / 10
- Britannia Heights0 / 6
Questions
How many building consents were issued in Nelson?
In the year to September 2026, Stats NZ counted 279 new homes consented in the Nelson City council area, with $139m of residential and $52.9m 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.