Building consents · Stats NZ figures to September 2026
Building consents in Wānaka
1,981 new homes were consented in the Queenstown-Lakes District council area in the year to September 2026, up 11% on the year before. They also consented $237m of non-residential building work, up 91% on the year before. Below: 15,491 consents we hold in Wānaka, searchable and on the map.
Stats NZ publishes building consents down to the council, so the official figures on this page are for the Queenstown-Lakes District council area.
New homes consented each month
Dwellings in new building consents, Queenstown-Lakes 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 1,729 in 2025.
Non-residential building work each month
The value of new and altered non-residential buildings consented — offices, shops, factories, warehouses, farm buildings, schools, hospitals — Queenstown-Lakes 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.
- Hotels and motels$82.4m
8 buildings · 13,675 m² new floor area · $5,115/m² new · +88% on the year before
- Shops, restaurants and bars$57.1m
15 buildings · 14,795 m² new floor area · $3,258/m² new · +61% on the year before
- Social, cultural and religious$25.9m
7 buildings · 3,497 m² new floor area · $6,822/m² new · +268% on the year before
- Hostels, boarding houses and prisons$25.8m
3 buildings · 6,050 m² new floor area · $4,264/m² new
- Offices$20.7m
6 buildings · 2,766 m² new floor area · $5,998/m² new · +33% on the year before
- Education$12m
5 buildings · 2,611 m² new floor area · $4,475/m² new · +391% on the year before
- Factories and industrial$7.2m
5 buildings · 1,617 m² new floor area · $3,348/m² new · +310% on the year before
- Warehouses and storage$4.3m
3 buildings · 1,774 m² new floor area · $2,430/m² new · +100% on the year before
- Farm buildings$892k
3 buildings · 591 m² new floor area · $1,509/m² new · −75% on the year before
- Hospitals and health$800k
−93% on the year before
Consents on record in Wānaka
Individual building consents we hold, each on its property: 15,491 from 18 May 2010 to 29 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.
- New homes1,234
298 in the last 12 months · typically $740k
- Alterations and additions410
81 in the last 12 months · typically $100k
- Fires and heating307
62 in the last 12 months · typically $5,000
- Garages, sheds and carports194
44 in the last 12 months · typically $150k
- Commercial alterations75
16 in the last 12 months · typically $200k
- Minor dwellings and sleepouts75
6 in the last 12 months · typically $130k
- Pools and spas74
20 in the last 12 months · typically $70k
- New commercial buildings70
16 in the last 12 months · typically $1.2m
- Fit-outs41
10 in the last 12 months · typically $300k
- Multiple homes39
5 in the last 12 months · typically $1.2m
Consents on record by month
The last three years. A recent dip is often records still to arrive.
Largest in the last 12 months
- $14.9mConstruction of a new supermarket building for Woolworths New Zealand Limited (70 Sir Tim Wallis Drive, Three Parks, ) 85-99 Sir Tim Wallis Drive, Wānaka
- $10mConstruction of new commercial building for retail - base build only - Building 8 Three Parks - Future Lot 812 85-99 Sir Tim Wallis Drive, Wānaka
- $8.5mConstruction of 12 single storey villas over blocks 17-22. Metlifecare Wanaka Retirement Village 1-36 Coprosma Crescent, Wānaka
- $6mConstruct 2 storey detached dwg with gge & supplementary 2 storey detached gge & study 20 Wanaka-Mount Aspiring Road, Wānaka
- $5.6mConstruction of two new adjoining four bdrm res dwgs with attached dbl garages 38 Sargood Drive, Wānaka
15,491 consents
- New homes$770k
New two storey residential dwelling with attached garage (Dwelling 1)
- New homes$750k
New two storey residential dwelling with attached garage (Dwelling 2)
- New homes$900k
Construction of single storey dwelling with attached garge
- Alterations and additions$150k
Convert outbuilding into Detached dwelling 3 bedroom dwelling - installation of freestanding woodburner / Metro Mega rad Base.
- New homes$2m
Construction of a detached dwelling with attached double garage.
- New homes$400k
Construction of a single storey detached dwelling with attached garage.
- Alterations and additions$750k
Alteration to single storey dwelling: Ensuite bedroom and wardrobe extension to southern end on existing house.
- New homes$600k
Construction of a single storey dwelling + stand alone with detached garage.
- New homes$600k
Construction of single storey dwelling with attached garage
- New homes$1.3m
New two-story dwelling with attached garage and solid fuel fire
- Alterations and additions$250k
Renovation of existing layout, small extension to the west of the ground floor to the west, under an existing balcony to ptovide more bedroom space.
- Garages, sheds and carports$150k
Addition of double garage to existing house
- New homes$1.4m
Construction of single storey dwelling with attached garage
- Garages, sheds and carports$606k
WCC - Construction of single storey dwelling with attached garage, Stage 1, Villa 01 - Takahe.
- Garages, sheds and carports$606k
WCC - Construction of single storey dwelling with attached garage, Stage 1, Villa 07 - Takahe.
- Fires and heating$731k
Cosntruction of dwelling with attached garage and solid fuel fire with attached unit
- Garages, sheds and carports$4.4m
Construction of single storey dwellign with attached garage, swimming pool not part of this consent.
- New homes$500k
Construction of single storey dwelling with attached garage
- New homes$1.3m
Construction of new four bedroom dwelling
- Alterations and additions$548k
Proposed construction of a single storey 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom residential dwelling with an attached double garage, including some earthworks
- New homes$2.5m
Construction of dwelling, 2 levels in part, with attached garage and swimming pool
- New homes$750k
Construction of single storey dwelling with attached garage
- New homes$350k
Construction of single storey dwelling with attached garage and carport
- New homes$595k
Construction of single storey dwelling with attached garage
- New homes$3m
Construction of three storey house, double garage, six bedrooms, four bathrooms, laundry, kitchen, dining and living
ResidentialCommercial The dots are this page of the list.
Suburbs in Wānaka
Where the consents we hold are, most in the last 12 months first.
Questions
How many building consents were issued in Wānaka?
In the year to September 2026, Stats NZ counted 1,981 new homes consented in the Queenstown-Lakes District council area, with $1.22b of residential and $237m 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.