A rise in demand for housing has seen the seasonally adjusted number of new homes given planning consent in New Zealand increase by 1.9% in February 2013, the latest data from Statistics New Zealand shows.

‘The trend for new houses continues to grow and the number of new houses consented has been trending up for almost two years and is now 53% higher than the most recent low point in March 2011,’ Blair Cardno, industry and labour statistics manager, stated.

‘This trend for the number of new houses, including apartments, is now at its highest level since May 2008,’ he added.

Consents for new homes, including apartments, have increased by 24% compared with February 2012. On their own, new houses have increased by 18%.

The largest increase in the number of new houses was in the Auckland region, up 51%, followed by Canterbury with an increase of 35%.