Our take on the latest Non-residential building consents (Tue 1 Sept 2020)
Value of non-res consents
$592m
In July 2020
Accommodation consents down 70%pa in July
Auckland and Canterbury the weakest regions
The key numbers...
- The value of non-residential consents fell $65m in July, with building approvals sitting 9.9% lower than a year ago.
- The value of consents contracted for almost all build types, except education and storage buildings.
- Education building consents were particularly strong, up $147m (302%pa) in July, focussed in Waikato and Northland Regions, which were up $60m and $42m respectively from a year prior.
- Hostels, boarding houses, prisons consents contracted the most in July, down $83m (-75%pa) from a year prior, followed by office buildings consents which fell by $41m (-40%pa).
The sectors to watch
Contribution to annual % change, three months ended Jul-20
...and our reaction
- July’s weak result comes off the back of an incredibly strong result in June, suggesting the strength of the prior month was just a short-term bounce back from the lockdown.
- With the borders closed to tourism, weakness in accommodation building consents was to be expected. Keep in mind that July 2020’s decline is exaggerated by a particularly strong result in July 2019, when $72m of funding was approved for a prison extension and new university accommodation.
- However, hostel, boarding house, and prison building consents are trending down, with the three months to July sitting 68%pa lower than the same period a year prior.
- We could expect to see weakness in non-residential consents in Auckland over the next few months, as recent restrictions have damaged confidence and hit businesses where it already hurt, reiterating the importance of survival over expansion.
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