Our take on the latest Non-residential building consents (Mon 2 Nov 2020)
Value of non-res consents
$758m
In Setember 2020
Total non-residential consents grew 23%pa in September
Social, cultural, and religious consents grew $124m in September
The key numbers...
- The value of non-residential consents rose 23%pa in September, although year-end consents are still down 7.6%.
- Public sector consents grew 137% in September to $254m, vastly outperforming private sector consents, which softened 1.3%pa.
- Hotels and hostels were the only building types to see declines, together dropping $101m (or 69%) from September 2019.
- Social, cultural, and religious consents were valued at $146m, more than six times their September 2019 total, driven mainly by a $70m city convention centre consent in Wellington.
Value of consents granted
Year-end % change
...and our reaction
- Considering the lack of building activity related to tourism, non-residential consent values are relatively buoyant otherwise.
- Expectations that the government will open the purse strings on large projects to stimulate the economy during a recession are starting to come through, in contrast to previous months when public sector consents were falling away while the private sector proved surprisingly resilient.
- We expect private consents to soften over the next year, driven by the hole in tourism and concern in the retail and office building space.
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