Building consents for new dwellings in New Zealand fell 1.3% month-on-month in March 2026, reversing an upwardly revised 2.8% increase in February. It marked the first decline in building consents since last December. A total of 3,677 new dwellings were consented, including 1,556 townhouses, flats, and units, 265 apartments, and 190 retirement village units. In the year ended March 2026, New Zealand saw 7.1 new dwellings consented per 1,000 residents, up from 6.4 per 1,000 in the year ended March 2025.