NZ building consents rise to five-year high in April, bolstered by apartments, retirement units

NZ building consents rise to five-year high in April, bolstered by apartments, retirement units
By Paul McBeth May 30 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand’s new building consents rose to a five-year high last month as new apartments and retirement village units added to the weight of pending construction permits. Building consents 43 percent to 1,755 in April from the same month a year earlier, the most in a month since April 2008, according to Statistics New Zealand. Seasonally adjusted, residential consents rose 19 percent to 1,779 last month. Stripping out the typically volatile apartment season, consents were still up a seasonally adjuste...