About 33,000 new homes were consented with Auckland leading the way, followed closely behind by Wellington, Stats NZ said in a release.
One third of all residential consents have been for apartments, town houses, flats and units – signalling a change in culture as kiwis move away from traditional houses with gardens to more urban living.
The increase of buildings come as welcome news to many New Zealanders which have struggled to find rental accommodation or get into the housing market.
