Building consents for new dwellings in New Zealand fell 4.0% month-on-month in May 2026, reversing from an upwardly revised 11.1% jump in April.
A total of 3.801 new dwellings were consented, including 1,835 stand-alone houses, 1,718 townhouses, flats, and units, 194 retirement village units, and 54 apartments.
In the year ended May 2026, the total number of new dwellings consented was 39,737, up 19% from the year ended May 2025.
Meanwhile, New Zealand recorded 7.4 new dwellings consented per 1,000 residents, up from 6.3 per 1,000 in the previous year.
The record number of new dwellings consented per 1,000 residents was 13.4 in the year ended December 1973.