WELLINGTON, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Building consents for new homes fell in April, partly due to the timing of Easter, Stats NZ said on Tuesday.
The seasonally adjusted number of new homes consented fell 7.6 percent in April 2017 compared with March, mainly because of Easter, which occurred in April this year.
The fall followed a 1.2-percent fall in March, and a 15-percent rise in February, according to a release by the country's statistics department.
"Councils don't usually issue building consents on public holidays, so the timing of Easter drove a fall in April's building consents," said business indicators senior manager Neil Kelly.
A total of 2,106 new homes were consented in April 2017, compared with 2,361 in April 2016.
"On an annual basis, home consents have reached a 12-year high this year, with more than 30,000 new homes being consented per year," Kelly said.
In the year ended April 2017, 30,371 new homes were consented, up 8.3 percent from the previous 12 months, and the most for an April year since 2004.
The annual total includes 10,226 new homes in Auckland, up 9.3 percent from the previous year, and the most for an April year since 2005, according to the release.
