More homes were consented in the first six months of 2015 than a year previously, Statistics New Zealand said today. Between January and June 2015, 12,057 new dwellings, worth almost $4 billion, were consented. "The new building consent figures show the total floor area for the dwellings consented was 221 hectares," business indicators manager Clara Eatherley said. "This means that enough new homes were consented in the first half of 2015 to cover an area twice the size of Wellington Airport." In the month of June 2015, 2,042 new dwellings were consented nationally, up 2.0 percent on June 2014. However, in ... (full story)