Non-residential building consents
Solid in September, but weakness will build
31 Oct 2019
Our take on the latest Non-residential building consents (Thu 31 Oct 2019)
Value of non-res consents
$618m
As of September 2019
Total consents up 11%pa
Hostel consents up $101m from Sep 2018 quarter
The key numbers...
- Non-residential consents in September were up 11% from a year earlier but still about 3.3% short of our expectations for the September quarter.
- Hostel building was boosted by a $46m consent for a 240-bed expansion at Rimutaka Prison in Upper Hutt and a $13m consent at Waikeria Prison in Ōtorohanga.
- Factory building also had a good month, pushed up by a $31m consent in Waipā, while hotel building was boosted by a $43m consent in Manukau.
- Office consents performed strongly in Manukau (up $25m from September 2018), Hamilton (up $19m), and Waitematā and Gulf (up $13m), but these increases were partly offset by a $27m decline in office consents in Christchurch.
- Warehouse building was dragged down $33m from a year ago, with significant declines in Maungakiekie-Tāmaki, Christchurch, and Manukau.
Value of consents granted
Year-end % change
...and our reaction
- Growth in public sector non-residential building work continues to outpace private sector activity, as weak investment intentions undermine businesses’ willingness to commit to new developments.
- Activity in Auckland is looking patchier, feeding into our view that non-residential work put in place in the region will peak within the next six months.
- Consents in Canterbury have bounced up and down over the last year, but we anticipate further declines throughout the final quarter of 2019 as rebuilding work continues to wind down.
Latest updates
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Non-residential building consents
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Non-residential building consents
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$655m Value of non-res consents in April 2026
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$862m Value of non-res consents in March 2026
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