April house building consents fall less than expected

April house building consents fall less than expected
Staff reporters
New residential building consents fell a seasonally adjusted 6.5 percent in April, a smaller decline than what economists expected given the national lockdown. Stats NZ figures show there were 2,168 new residential building consents issued in April, down from 2,605 a year earlier. In the 12 months through April, some 37,180 new consents were issued, up 8.1 percent from a year earlier. ASB and Westpac economists said the seasonally adjusted decline was smaller than anticipated given the 22 percent drop in March, and both expect to see...