WELLINGTON, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Townhouses drove a surge in New Zealand new home consents, which rose 6.2 percent to 35,552 in the year ended October 2025 amid urban housing demand, Stats NZ reported Monday.
"The lift we are seeing this year is being driven by higher-density homes rather than traditional stand-alone houses," Stats NZ economic indicators spokesperson Michelle Feyen said.
Townhouses, flats and units led the increase with 15,484 consents, up 9.9 percent from the prior year, while apartments surged 54 percent to 2,649, according to the statistics department.
Stand-alone house consents grew a modest 1.9 percent to 16,183, it said, adding retirement village units fell 30 percent to 1,236.
Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, accounted for half of the rise in consents for townhouses, flats, and units, with Wellington, the capital, and Otago and Canterbury in the South Island also contributing to the overall increase, Stats NZ said. ■
