Building consents · Stats NZ figures to September 2026
Building consents in Canterbury
8,906 new homes were consented in the Canterbury Region in the year to September 2026, up 31% on the year before. They also consented $1.34b of non-residential building work, down 14% on the year before. Below: 60,177 consents we hold in Canterbury, searchable and on the map.
New homes consented each month
Dwellings in new building consents, the Canterbury Region, 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 8,898 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 — the Canterbury Region, 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.
- Warehouses and storage$318m
88 buildings · 196,844 m² new floor area · $1,502/m² new · −11% on the year before
- Education$218m
59 buildings · 35,317 m² new floor area · $5,044/m² new · +27% on the year before
- Hospitals and health$151m
15 buildings · 16,396 m² new floor area · $5,731/m² new · −11% on the year before
- Factories and industrial$133m
41 buildings · 25,929 m² new floor area · $3,470/m² new · −48% on the year before
- Social, cultural and religious$124m
23 buildings · 21,922 m² new floor area · $4,149/m² new · −24% on the year before
- Offices$113m
27 buildings · 13,058 m² new floor area · $3,856/m² new · +32% on the year before
- Farm buildings$96.4m
471 buildings · 146,411 m² new floor area · $621/m² new · +73% on the year before
- Shops, restaurants and bars$76.4m
18 buildings · 18,770 m² new floor area · $2,220/m² new · −50% on the year before
- Hostels, boarding houses and prisons$73.5m
11 buildings · 12,185 m² new floor area · $4,920/m² new · +3% on the year before
- Hotels and motels$40.5m
11 buildings · 2,875 m² new floor area · $4,122/m² new · −43% on the year before
Councils compared
The year to September 2026 against the year before.
| Council | New homes | Change | Non-residential | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christchurch City | 4,876 | +25% | $833m | −19% |
| Selwyn District | 2,424 | +58% | $216m | −17% |
| Waimakariri District | 795 | +15% | $43.2m | −37% |
| Ashburton District | 368 | +51% | $80m | +24% |
| Hurunui District | 133 | −3% | $19m | +56% |
| Timaru District | 120 | −17% | $112m | +78% |
| Mackenzie District | 112 | +62% | $16.8m | −54% |
| Kaikoura District | 42 | +20% | $9.7m | +221% |
| Waimate District | 17 | +6% | $4.9m | −67% |
Consents on record in Canterbury
Individual building consents we hold, each on its property: 60,177 from 24 Jul 1988 to 2 Nov 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.
- New homes3,850
1,143 in the last 12 months · typically $460k
- Fires and heating3,581
678 in the last 12 months · typically $5,000
- Alterations and additions2,259
478 in the last 12 months · typically $27k
- Garages, sheds and carports1,172
218 in the last 12 months · typically $50k
- Commercial alterations364
62 in the last 12 months · typically $80k
- New commercial buildings310
54 in the last 12 months · typically $109k
- Relocated buildings308
61 in the last 12 months · typically $100k
- Pools and spas266
35 in the last 12 months · typically $85k
- Plumbing, drainage and wastewater246
48 in the last 12 months · typically $16k
- Other new buildings193
66 in the last 12 months · typically $150k
Consents on record by month
The last three years. A recent dip is often records still to arrive.
Largest in the last 12 months
- $20mBuilding Additions & Alterations (Redevelopment of Theatre Royal & 126 Stafford Street, Timaru
- $9.5mErect Building (Museum) 126 Stafford Street, Timaru
- $7.2mBuilding Addition & Alterations (Butter Factory) 6 Rolleston Road, Clandeboye
- $6mBuilding Addition Lactose Dryer and Evaporator Superstructure 6 Rolleston Road, Clandeboye
- $5.5mR2 - stage 5 - 43x new detached dwgs. 26 Donald Street, Temuka
60,177 consents
- Relocated buildings$55k
Siting/Foundations/Services for Relocated Dwelling
- New commercial buildings$2m
Erect Shed
- Alterations and additions$15k
Alterations
- Garages, sheds and carports$40k
Erect Shed
- Alterations and additions$35k
Alterations
- Fires and heating$5,000
Install Escea TFS850 Freestanding Woodburner
- Alterations and additions
AMEND B2 Modification
- Fires and heating$5,000
Install Escea TFS650 Freestanding Woodburner
- New homes$650k
Erect Dwelling
- Alterations and additions$25k
Alterations (Ensuite)
- New homes$250k
Erect Dwelling with Attached Garage & Install Wastewater Treatment
- Fires and heating$5,000
Install Masport Rangitata Inbuilt Woodburner
- New homes$830k
Erect Dwelling with Attached Garage & Install Metro Xtreme Rad Woody
- Garages, sheds and carports$40k
Alterations (Garage to Bedroom/Bathroom)
- Alterations and additions$20k
Install Services
- Fires and heating$5,000
Install Masport Coronet Freestanding Woodburner
- Fires and heating$5,000
Install Ravelli Elena Freestanding Pellet Burner
- New homes$400k
Erect Dwelling with Attached Garage
- Commercial alterations$6m
Building Addition Lactose Dryer and Evaporator Superstructure
- Relocated buildings$100k
Siting/Foundations/Services for Relocatable Dwelling & Dwelling
- Garages, sheds and carports$25k
Erect Shed
- Fires and heating$10k
Install Masport Rangitata Inbult Woodburner & Install Masport
- Fires and heating$5,000
Install Masport Rangitata Inbuilt Woodburner
- Other new buildings$100k
Erect Light Tower
- Fires and heating$5,000
Install Xtreme Rad Freestanding Wetback Woodburner
ResidentialCommercial The dots are this page of the list.
Towns and cities in Canterbury
Where the consents we hold are, most in the last 12 months first.
- Rolleston618 / 2,783
- Timaru553 / 31,124
- Ashburton214 / 1,356
- Temuka173 / 6,754
- West Melton172 / 723
- Lincoln159 / 894
- Geraldine136 / 6,591
- Prebbleton96 / 186
- Darfield91 / 536
- Twizel88 / 589
- Kaikōura72 / 482
- Leeston54 / 325
- Pleasant Point53 / 2,073
- Fairlie46 / 195
- Waimate45 / 579
- Oxford43 / 374
- Methven32 / 228
- Pareora25 / 558
- West Eyreton23 / 69
- Kirwee22 / 141
- Lake Tekapo22 / 136
- Southbridge22 / 129
- Cust19 / 102
- Christchurch16 / 220
- Rakaia15 / 120
- Loburn13 / 30
- Winchester12 / 508
- Springston12 / 69
- Rangiora10 / 64
- Swannanoa10 / 48
- Mount Somers9 / 26
- Seadown8 / 419
- Mount Peel8 / 405
- Cave8 / 335
- Dunsandel7 / 52
- Saint Andrews7 / 35
- Hororata6 / 50
- Springfield6 / 50
- Burnham6 / 36
- Glentunnel5 / 44
- Castle Hill4 / 64
- Doyleston4 / 23
- Okuku4 / 15
- Southburn2 / 12
- Waddington2 / 9
- Albury2 / 6
- Coalgate1 / 40
- Lake Coleridge1 / 4
- Kurow1 / 4
- Arthur's Pass National Park1 / 2
- Hakataramea Valley1 / 1
- Sheffield0 / 20
- Arthur's Pass0 / 7
- Lauriston0 / 3
- Reefton0 / 1
- Puhi Puhi0 / 1
- Bankside0 / 1
Questions
How many building consents were issued in Canterbury?
In the year to September 2026, Stats NZ counted 8,906 new homes consented in the Canterbury Region, with $3.87b of residential and $1.34b 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.