NZ home building consents fall 2.1% in December, first decline in 3 months

NZ home building consents fall 2.1% in December, first decline in 3 months
By Jonathan Underhill Jan. 30 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand residential building consents in December fell for the first time in three months, rounding out a year in which the number of permits issued reached a seven-year high. The number of new residential permits issued in December fell 2.1 percent to 2,198, seasonally adjusted, after gains in both October and November of more than 10 percent, according to Statistics New Zealand. Consents in all of 2014 rose 16 percent to 24,680, the highest since 2007. The Reserve Bank said yesterday...