New Zealand Building Permits Drop in December

Building consents for new dwellings in New Zealand fell 4.6% month-on-month in December 2025, reversing an upwardly revised 2.7% rise in November. A total of 3,128 new dwellings were consented, including 1,299 stand-alone houses, 1,494 townhouses, flats, and units, 72 apartments, and 263 retirement village units. In the year ended December 2025, New Zealand saw 6.9 new dwellings consented per 1,000 residents, up from 6.4 per 1,000 in the year ended December 2024.

Building consents for new dwellings in New Zealand rose 2.8% month-on-month in November 2025, reversing an upwardly revised 0.7% decline in October. A total of 3,517 new dwellings were consented, including 1,607 stand-alone houses, 1,596 townhouses, flats, and units, 184 apartments, and 130 retirement village units. In the year ended November 2025, New Zealand saw 6.8 new dwellings consented per 1,000 residents, up from 6.4 per 1,000 in the year ended November 2024.

Building consents for new dwellings in New Zealand dropped 0.9% month-on-month in October 2025, reversing an upwardly revised 7.3% increase in September and marking the first monthly decline since June. Approvals for new home consents reached 3,520 units on a seasonally adjusted basis. The total comprised 1,612 townhouses, flats, and units; 194 apartments; and 146 retirement village units. In the year ended October 2025, 35,552 new homes were consented, representing a 6.2% rise compared to the year ended October 2024.