Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

There's a belief New Zealand's building sector is still many months away from a rebound, as consents plummet.  Stats NZ data shows fewer than 34,000 new homes were consented in the year to June.  That's a 24% annual drop, and five-year low.  Construction Industry Council Executive Director Tommy Honey told Ryan Bridge it's a continuation of a trend that began mid-2022  He says they've been waiting for that to reverse —or at least plateau— but numbers are still seemingly sinking.  Annual building consents of apartments have also plummeted, with a 51% drop in the year to June.   Honey told Bridge apartments are seen as a risk for builders, developers, and investors.  He says it's also related to inflation running high, and while that's turning a corner, there's a lag at the Reserve Bank.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.