Value of Building Work Put in Place: March 2011 quarter

Embargoed until 10:45am  –  08 June 2011
Media release  – 
Building activity down

Highlights

In the March 2011 quarter, the seasonally adjusted volume of:

  • All building work fell 6.3 percent, following a 0.6 percent increase in the last quarter.   
  • Non-residential building work fell 10.4 percent, following a 9.2 percent increase in the last quarter.
  • Residential building work fell 2.1 percent, the third consecutive decrease. 
  • Building work in Canterbury fell considerably, although if Canterbury was excluded from the total figures there would still be a significant decrease.

As shown below, the trend for the volume of all building work has decreased in the last two quarters, following four quarters of increases. The current level is just 1.7 percent higher than the recent low in the September 2009 quarter.   

Graph, Building work put in place, quarterly values at September 1999 quarter prices, March 2001 to March 2011.  

Geoff Bascand 8 June 2011
Government Statistician ISSN 1178-0371