Construction

There were 40,908 new homes consented in New Zealand in the year ended July 2026, up 21% on the 33,879 consented the year before, according to new Stats NZ figures. “Annual home consent numbers have continued to strengthen in recent months, with increases in both stand-alone houses and multi-unit homes,” economic indicators spokesperson Michelle Feyen […]

New Zealand’s construction sector is facing rising costs, and much of the pressure is coming from how work gets delivered rather than how much of it there is. According to new research from Kennards Hire, businesses are increasingly focused on efficiency and coordination as the path to managing that pressure. The report found 96% of […]

New Zealand’s construction sector is shifting from cautious optimism to practical realism, according to Kennards Hire’s second annual Construction Confidence Check survey. 84% of construction leaders are confident in the industry’s growth over the next five years, even as businesses navigate cost pressures and economic uncertainty. 79% agree the sector has remained stable over the […]

Recent events affecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz are a reminder that fuel prices can change rapidly in response to global events. We don’t know how long this disruption will go on, or what impact it will have if it continues. But we do know that prices are elevated and volatile. We can expect […]

For years, construction firms have built around a moving political target. Consenting rules, building standards and housing settings swung with each change of government, and builders, developers and subcontractors absorbed the cost of the uncertainty. The coalition Government is now betting that its overhaul of the planning and consenting system can end that, and at […]

Wellington faces the biggest shake-up to its earthquake rules in a decade, and it lands squarely on the capital’s builders, engineers and building owners. The Building (Earthquake-prone Building System Reform) Amendment Bill is expected to pass before the 2026 election, rewriting how New Zealand handles earthquake-prone buildings. The headline change is time. Councils will be […]