NZ residential building consents fall 4.9% in September as Canterbury focus shifts to non-residential work

NZ residential building consents fall 4.9% in September as Canterbury focus shifts to non-residential work
Paul McBeth
By Paul McBeth Sept. 30 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand residential building consents fell 4.9 percent in August as the Canterbury rebuild shifts its focus toward commercial work. Seasonally adjusted consents declined to 2,397 last month from 2,520 in July, when they spiked 20 percent, according to Statistics New Zealand. Of that, permits to build new houses fell 2.7 percent to 1,661. On an unadjusted basis, residential consents rose 11 percent to 2,291 from the same month a year earlier, led by a 36 percent gain in retirement village uni...