NZ building consents rise for first month in three, helped by Canterbury, apartments

NZ building consents rise for first month in three, helped by Canterbury, apartments
July 30 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand home building consents rose for the first time in three months in June, helped by an increase in Canterbury amid earthquake rebuilding and a jump in permits for apartments including rest-home units. The number of new dwellings authorised, including apartments, rose a seasonally adjusted 5.7 percent in June, following two months where the total fell by more than 7 percent, according to Statistics New Zealand. Excluding the volatile apartments sector, consents rose 2.1 percent. Residential building consents...