Our take on the latest Non-residential building consents (Tue 2 Jul 2019)
Value of non-res consents
$584m
In May 2019
Non-res consents down 11%pa in May
Auckland and Wellington holding onto growth
The key numbers...
- Non-residential building consent weakness in May isn’t ringing any alarm bells yet, as the poor performance is more likely to be hangover symptoms of partying too hard in April.
- The June quarter is still looking healthy, and both Auckland and Wellington have continued to show strength.
- Whether Auckland can continue to drive the rest of the country remains a question. Capacity constraints have been a problem for the region in recent years, but the latest building activity figures show promise.
Non-residential consents
...and our reaction
- After an incredible performance in April, non-residential building consents in May were a little lacklustre, down 11% from a year ago. It is more than likely the weakness in May is due to April stealing some of this month's thunder.
- While the month of May was slow, the June quarter is still on track to be strong, with the three months to May sitting 14% higher than the same period a year earlier.
- Non-residential consents in both the Wellington Region and Auckland were up $26m in May (63% and 11%pa growth respectively).
- The strongest growing build type in May was warehouse buildings, with consents $51m higher (96%pa) than 12 months ago. This growth was driven by Auckland, where storage building consents were up 122% from May 2018.
- Education building consents recorded the sharpest drop in May, down 65%pa, with $97m less approvals than a year earlier.
Latest updates
Premium
Non-residential building consents
Warehouses prevent further non-res falls in June
Mon 3 Aug 2026
Monthly
$701m Value of non-res consents in June 2026
7.4% Total non-res consents from May 2026 (seas adj)37%pa Warehouse consents from June 2025Premium
Non-residential building consents
Non-res consents weaker still in May
Thu 2 Jul 2026
Monthly
$789m Value of non-res consents in May 2026
19% Monthly consents from May 202549% Public sector consents from May 2025Non-residential building consents
Non-res consents mostly softer in April
Wed 3 Jun 2026
Monthly
$655m Value of non-res consents in April 2026
15% Monthly consents from April 2025
Office and education consents at lowest monthly levels in 5-6 yearsNon-residential building consents
Consents strong in March, but shadow of conflict looms
Fri 1 May 2026
Monthly
$862m Value of non-res consents in March 2026
15% Monthly consents from Mar 2025$119m Hostel consents from Mar 2025