The number of new dwelling consents approved in New Zealand rose a seasonally adjusted 2.1 percent in January compared with a 5.1 percent rise in the previous month, data from Statistics New Zealand showed on Wednesday.
Excluding apartments, flats, and retirement village units, the number of consents for new houses was down 3.8 percent.
Building consents were 18.0 percent higher than the same month a year ago.
