Building consents for new dwellings in New Zealand fell by 7.9% month-on-month in September 2026, deepening a revised 5.3% decline recorded in August. A total of 3,570 new homes were consented in September, comprising 1,733 stand-alone houses, 1,305 townhouses, flats, and units, 411 apartments, and 121 retirement village units.
In the year ended September 2026, 41,091 new homes were consented, an increase of 17.8% compared with the year ended September 2025. Stand-alone houses accounted for 19,228 consents, up 20.8% year-on-year, while multi-unit homes rose 15.7% to 17,902. Within multi-unit developments, townhouses, flats, and units increased 18% to 17,756, apartments declined 10.7% to 2,356, and retirement village units surged 43.5% to 1,751.
Over the same 12-month period, New Zealand recorded 7.7 new home consents per 1,000 residents.
