Construction in Christchurch at record levels

The rebuild may be slow but it should come as no surprise that construction in Christchurch is at record levels.

The latest Statistics New Zealand consent figures show almost a billion dollars worth of new commercial and public buildings were approved for construction in Christchurch in the past year.

The value of the consented work was more than twice any other year on electronic record.

According to Statistics New Zealand, consents for 350 non-residential buildings were issued by the Christchurch City Council in the 12 months to the end of October.

The consents cover commercial as well as public buildings, but exclude non building-construction, such as roads, bridges and pipework.

Residential construction in the city and the Canterbury region is also at record levels, with almost 7000 new Canterbury homes approved in the past year.

ASB bank's latest Cantometer Index, which tracks economic activity in Canterbury, described construction levels in the region as "very strong".

ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley said that while construction demand in the region was showing some signs of slowing from "very high levels", they expected demand for commercial building construction to pick up.

Concrete sales were growing strongly, and the rebuild was boosting demand for workers "across the sectors, from construction to professional services."

The biggest number of Christchurch consents for non-residential construction according to Statistics New Zealand was for office and administration buildings, with 105 worth a total of $417 million getting consent in the past year.

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Construction in Christchurch at record levels