12 Regional Building Consents The latest monthly building consent data shows a continuing flattening or downward trend across the whole country. The downward trend in Auckland is particularly troubling in light of the need to massively increase house building in Auckland for the next few decades to meet projected population growth. Our own analysis has shown that while Auckland consents increased to under 10,000 in the past year, the housing stock only increased by around 6,000 dwellings. There are many reasons why the construction industry in Auckland is struggling to build houses fast enough, and the problem is not easily or quickly solved. New Dwelling Consents Trend Source: Statistics New Zealand