Building consent figures continue to grow

There 1520 new houses consented in September, including 186 apartments.

That was 7.8% up from August and the fourth monthly gain in a row.

Spokesman Blair Cardno said: "Canterbury and Auckland drove the national increase in new houses in September 2012. The number of new houses was up 80% in Canterbury and up 50% in Auckland."

Canterbury and Auckland regions had the largest increases in new housing numbers in September 2012 compared with September 2011. This month, the growth in Canterbury came from Christchurch city, along with Waimakariri and Selwyn districts. 

Compared with August 2012, excluding apartments, the number of new houses increased 5.6%. The trend for both series has been growing for 18 months.

In Canterbury, earthquake-related building consents totalled $58 million in September 2012. Of this, $17 million was for residential work and $41 million was for non-residential work.