A record 48,522 new homes were consented in the year to November, 2021, up 26 percent compared to the year to November 2020.
Stats NZ's Michael Heslop said 4688 new homes were consented in November alone - up from the previous record of 4490 just three months before, in August. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
It was also the ninth month in a row monthly year-on-year increases have broken records.
Stats NZ's Michael Heslop said 4688 new homes were consented in November alone - up from the previous record of 4490 just three months before, in August.
More than 20,000 of the new homes were in Auckland, which was the first time the supercity had surpassed the mark, Heslop said.
The next most consented region was Canterbury at 7526.
Much of the growth in Auckland was due to the increase in consents for the likes of townhouses, apartments and flats, Heslop said.
Minister for Building and Construction Poto Williams said more houses were being built than any government since the 1970s, with consent numbers having "more than tripled in the last decade".
"The sector is outdoing itself to deliver on the homes New Zealanders need," she said.
Projections showed increases in consented homes are expected to continue "for the next two-to-three years", Williams said.
It was something she was keen to see but she wanted to ensure it meant there were affordable homes coming into the New Zealand market.
"I think at the end of the day, it's probably far more important to ensure people are able to afford a home, are in decent warm homes, we're able to sort of build communities".
The government was wanting to cut out as much red tape as it can, which included replacing the Resource Management Act, Williams said.
She was aware of need for a strong relationship between government and the construction sector, particularly at the moment with global supply chain issues and the challenges of not having costs overly increase in an already expensive market.