Building consents · Stats NZ figures to September 2026
Building consents in Wellington
824 new homes were consented in the Wellington City council area in the year to September 2026, up 66% on the year before. They also consented $377m of non-residential building work, down 45% on the year before. Below: 5,016 consents we hold in Wellington, searchable and on the map.
Stats NZ publishes building consents down to the council, so the official figures on this page are for the Wellington City council area.
New homes consented each month
Dwellings in new building consents, Wellington 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 1,429 in 2019.
Non-residential building work each month
The value of new and altered non-residential buildings consented — offices, shops, factories, warehouses, farm buildings, schools, hospitals — Wellington 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.
- Offices$153m
8 buildings · 10,560 m² new floor area · $2,610/m² new · −55% on the year before
- Education$97.7m
9 buildings · 9,454 m² new floor area · $7,951/m² new · +174% on the year before
- Social, cultural and religious$48.9m
3 buildings · 511 m² new floor area · $27,789/m² new · −27% on the year before
- Hospitals and health$23.9m
1 building · −71% on the year before
- Hotels and motels$23.5m
+467% on the year before
- Shops, restaurants and bars$17.7m
1 building · 166 m² new floor area · $3,163/m² new · +60% on the year before
- Hostels, boarding houses and prisons$7.1m
+44% on the year before
- Factories and industrial$2.4m
1 building · −98% on the year before
- Warehouses and storage$2.1m
2 buildings · 545 m² new floor area · $1,734/m² new · +1488% on the year before
- Farm buildings$105k
1 building · 84 m² new floor area · $1,250/m² new · +5% on the year before
Consents on record in Wellington
Individual building consents we hold, each on its property: 5,016 from 1 Aug 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.
- Alterations and additions1,497
261 in the last 12 months · typically $45k
- New homes399
67 in the last 12 months · typically $580k
- Fires and heating381
67 in the last 12 months · typically $5,000
- Repairs, recladding and strengthening157
21 in the last 12 months · typically $90k
- Decks, pergolas and verandahs157
20 in the last 12 months · typically $50k
- Garages, sheds and carports138
15 in the last 12 months · typically $75k
- Retaining walls118
13 in the last 12 months · typically $53k
- Plumbing, drainage and wastewater110
19 in the last 12 months · typically $9,000
- Insulation52
7 in the last 12 months · typically $6,000
- Multiple homes50
7 in the last 12 months · typically $1.6m
Consents on record by month
The last three years. A recent dip is often records still to arrive.
Largest in the last 12 months
- $5mR3 - 16x new dwgs over 4 blocks composed of two storey & single storey attached dwgs - above ground works only. Consent has been granted subject to s75. 39-45 Bell Street, Tawa
- $4.5m7x new 2-storey dwgs :- (house a) 5 x 3 bdrm (house b) 2 x 3 bdrm 58C Raroa Terrace, Tawa
- $3mRbw - construction of five split-level three-storey townhouses, each with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, laundry, gge & deck areas including installation of inter-tenancy fire-rated walls between 8 Morpeth Street, Johnsonville
- $3mR3 - new 10x multi-unit dwgs. The scope is limited to all above-ground building works, including foundations. 45-51 Tremewan Street, Tawa
- $2.8mC2 - stage 2 - three storey multi-unit res building & 1x two storey multi unit dwg 2 Thatcher Crescent, Crofton Downs
5,016 consents
- Decks, pergolas and verandahs$25k
Alt to existing dwg. First floor deck extensions
- Alterations and additions$100k
R1 - foundation & services works only for two transportable homes.
- New homes$500k
R2 - new two-storey detached dwg with attached gge.
- Alterations and additions$80k
R2 - alterations to dbl-storey house including new windows, door, ensuite, woodburner & internal reconfiguration
- Alterations and additions$15k
R2 - alterations existing detatched dwg - ensuite & bathrm
- Alterations and additions$48k
R2 - alterations to single storey detached dwg. Elevate roof. Relocation of wc & laundry. Removal of some existing windows. Re-roofing for lower pitch.
- Alterations and additions$5,000
R1 - minor works - single storey detached dwg. New tiled shower & toughened glass screen
- Alterations and additions$1
Amendment to aba-2025-1722 - install racking system
- Alterations and additions$4,500
Install xtreme rad base heating
- Fires and heating$8,000
Install masport Rangitata insert woodfire
- Alterations and additions$100k
C1 - alterations of lower floor to create an additional unit in 2 storey multi unit dwg.
- New homes$720k
R2 - new two-storey detached dwg.
- New homes$1.5m
R3 - new 3 storey detached dwg & demolition of existing raised gge.
- Alterations and additions$200k
R3 - add & alt to existing three-storey detached dwg.
- Alterations and additions$150k
R2- external alterations to two storey detached dwg. New metal roofing.
- Alterations and additions$15k
R2 - alterations to two-storey detached dwg. Convert basement space into a bdrm.
- New homes$672k
R3 - new 2 storey detached dwg.
- Alterations and additions$30k
R2 - alt to 2 storey detached dwg - new ensuite.
- New homes$518k
R1 - new single-storey detached dwg
- Alterations and additions$60k
R3 - alt to existing three-storey detached dwg.
- Alterations and additions$27k
R2 - internal alt to single-storey detached dwg. New bathrm & laundry layout.
- New homes$350k
R2 - new single storey detached dwg
- Alterations and additions$80k
R1 - alt to single storey detached dwg.
- Pools and spas$300k
R2 - new ancillary building with new deck, pool fence, retaining walls, & landscaping.
- Insulation$20k
R2 - alterations to existing detached dwg. Reline & insulation of basement level. New bathrm & hwc
ResidentialCommercial The dots are this page of the list.
Suburbs in Wellington
Where the consents we hold are, most in the last 12 months first.
- Karori92 / 883
- Tawa77 / 577
- Johnsonville52 / 389
- Khandallah51 / 622
- Ngaio28 / 374
- Newlands28 / 328
- Churton Park28 / 284
- Northland26 / 213
- Wadestown22 / 250
- Kelburn17 / 153
- Crofton Downs17 / 131
- Wilton12 / 138
- Paparangi12 / 117
- Thorndon11 / 113
- Broadmeadows8 / 69
- Brooklyn8 / 32
- Grenada Village6 / 41
- Highbury6 / 38
- Mākara4 / 35
- Ohariu3 / 43
- Woodridge3 / 28
- Kaiwharawhara2 / 26
- Horokiwi2 / 24
- Takapu Valley2 / 23
- Aro Valley1 / 21
- Grenada North1 / 13
- Glenside0 / 41
- Te Aro0 / 7
- Pipitea0 / 1
- Berhampore0 / 1
- Ngauranga0 / 1
Questions
How many building consents were issued in Wellington?
In the year to September 2026, Stats NZ counted 824 new homes consented in the Wellington City council area, with $394m of residential and $377m 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.