Residential building consents

Consents playing catch up

1 Jul 2020
Paul Barkle's-profile-photo
Paul Barkle

Our take on the latest Residential building consents (Wed 1 Jul 2020)

Residential dwelling consents
3,554
In May 2020
Consent in May rebound from lockdown
But total consents down 9.2%pa in the three months to May 2020

The key numbers...

  • Residential consents bounced back from lockdown, with 3,554 new consents issued in May 2020. In seasonally adjusted terms, this result is up 36% from lockdown in April.
  • There is evidence of a temporary recovery to more regular consenting levels, with May’s seasonally adjusted consents in line with the average seen in early 2020, prior to the pandemic.
  • The number of consents issued in the three months to May are still down 9.2%pa from a year prior, suggesting that despite a strong month, the underlying trend for consents remains softer.
  • It is important to note that although consents in May were still down 4.6%pa from a year earlier, May 2019 was the strongest month for consents since 1974, which clouds the picture.

Residential dwelling consents

Seasonally adjusted
3637

...and our reaction

  • Some of the consents issued in May likely represent consents already in the pipeline as councils work through a backlog of applications.
  • It is important to reiterate that consents are only an intention to build. Actual construction activity will give us a clearer read of activity in the coming months.
  • As we begin to feel the effects of the downturn hitting households’ budgets, many of these consents may not turn into activity.
  • We expect residential consents to continue to soften over the coming year, with tighter credit conditions and stretched household budgets pushing development activity lower.

Latest updates

Premium
Residential building consents

Residential consents fall 3.6% in June

Mon 3 Aug 2026
Monthly
40,581 Annual consents over the June 2026 year
19% June 2026 consents over the June 2026 year
3.6% June 2026 consents from May on a seas. adj. basis
Premium
Residential building consents

Residential consents fall 4.0% in May

Thu 2 Jul 2026
Monthly
39,737 Annual consents over May 2026 year
4.0% May 2026 consents from April on a seas. adj. basis
22%pa Townhouse consents over May 2026 year
Residential building consents

Residential consents jump up 11% in April

Wed 3 Jun 2026
Monthly
39,087 Annual consents over April 2026 year
11% April 2026 consents from March on a seas. adj. basis
19%pa Multi-unit consents over April 2026 year
Residential building consents

Residential consent momentum trends sideways

Fri 1 May 2026
Monthly
37,813 Annual consents over March 2026 year
3,300pm Consents trend sideways on a seas. adj. basis
14%pa Townhouse consents over March 2026 year