Building consents · Stats NZ figures to September 2026
Building consents in Timaru
120 new homes were consented in the Timaru District council area in the year to September 2026, down 17% on the year before. They also consented $112m of non-residential building work, up 78% on the year before. Below: 31,124 consents we hold in Timaru, searchable and on the map.
Stats NZ publishes building consents down to the council, so the official figures on this page are for the Timaru District council area.
New homes consented each month
Dwellings in new building consents, Timaru District, 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 263 in 2016.
Non-residential building work each month
The value of new and altered non-residential buildings consented — offices, shops, factories, warehouses, farm buildings, schools, hospitals — Timaru District, 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.
- Social, cultural and religious$48.5m
3 buildings · 12,611 m² new floor area · $3,786/m² new · +472% on the year before
- Factories and industrial$23.4m
7 buildings · 5,879 m² new floor area · $1,309/m² new · +53% on the year before
- Warehouses and storage$18m
10 buildings · 35,128 m² new floor area · $510/m² new · −12% on the year before
- Education$8.8m
6 buildings · 1,038 m² new floor area · $2,129/m² new · −3% on the year before
- Farm buildings$5.1m
34 buildings · 8,740 m² new floor area · $526/m² new · +57% on the year before
- Offices$4.4m
3 buildings · 408 m² new floor area · $2,819/m² new · +70% on the year before
- Shops, restaurants and bars$2m
+67% on the year before
- Hotels and motels$1.8m
1 building · 633 m² new floor area · $2,204/m² new · −21% on the year before
- Hostels, boarding houses and prisons$30k
−65% on the year before
- Hospitals and health$15k
−87% on the year before
Consents on record in Timaru
Individual building consents we hold, each on its property: 31,124 from 11 Mar 1993 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.
- Fires and heating912
175 in the last 12 months · typically $5,000
- Alterations and additions693
130 in the last 12 months · typically $30k
- New homes410
54 in the last 12 months · typically $500k
- Garages, sheds and carports257
38 in the last 12 months · typically $50k
- Commercial alterations199
26 in the last 12 months · typically $100k
- New commercial buildings188
34 in the last 12 months · typically $150k
- Relocated buildings115
19 in the last 12 months · typically $140k
- Other new buildings94
33 in the last 12 months · typically $120k
- Plumbing, drainage and wastewater39
10 in the last 12 months · typically $20k
- Retaining walls36
6 in the last 12 months · typically $30k
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
- $18.3mErect Building (Stadium) 70 Morgans Road, Glenwood
- $9.5mErect Building (Museum) 126 Stafford Street, Timaru
- $3.5mErect Building (Shed 22) 130 Seadown Road, Washdyke
- $3.5mAMEND - Civil Drawings/Foundations/Pre Cast Panels 8 Timaru-Temuka Highway, Washdyke
31,124 consents
- Relocated buildings$55k
Siting/Foundations/Services for Relocated Dwelling
- New commercial buildings$2m
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
- Alterations and additions$25k
Alterations (Ensuite)
- Fires and heating$5,000
Install Masport Rangitata Inbuilt Woodburner
- 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
- 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
- Other new buildings$100k
Erect Light Tower
- Multiple homes$400k
Erect Two Dwellings with Attached Garages
- Alterations and additions
AMEND - B2 Modification
- Plumbing, drainage and wastewater
AMEND Drainage / Floor Level / Patio
- New homes$550k
Erect Dwelling with Attached Garage
- New commercial buildings$100k
Erect Shed
- Alterations and additions$25k
Alterations
- Retaining walls$100k
Erect Retaining Walls
- Fires and heating$5,000
Install Blaze King Sirocco SC20P.NZ Freestanding Woodburner
- Fires and heating$5,000
Install Maxen Cargill 350-D Freestanding Woodburner
- Garages, sheds and carports$81k
Erect Garage
ResidentialCommercial The dots are this page of the list.
Suburbs in Timaru
Where the consents we hold are, most in the last 12 months first.
- Highfield55 / 3,407
- Gleniti50 / 2,379
- Marchwiel47 / 2,848
- West End35 / 2,259
- Washdyke35 / 1,646
- Watlington27 / 1,620
- Parkside26 / 2,409
- Seaview25 / 1,604
- Waimataitai25 / 1,414
- Levels22 / 821
- Glenwood21 / 1,360
- Claremont21 / 873
- Kensington18 / 1,289
- Maori Hill18 / 923
- Timaru16 / 1,515
- Oceanview14 / 676
- Levels Valley14 / 509
- Hadlow14 / 338
- Rosewill12 / 280
- Kerrytown9 / 427
- Otipua Creek8 / 298
- Washdyke Flat7 / 171
- Fairview6 / 496
- Redruth6 / 360
- Pareora West5 / 280
- Salisbury5 / 155
- Timaru Port4 / 313
- Normanby4 / 223
- Smithfield4 / 79
- Scarborough1 / 75
- Adair0 / 77
Questions
How many building consents were issued in Timaru?
In the year to September 2026, Stats NZ counted 120 new homes consented in the Timaru District council area, with $83.2m of residential and $112m 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.