Building boom not slowing down in Ashburton, yet
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The building boom continues in Ashburton but is tipped to slow down around March next year.
Ashburton District Council building services manager Michael Wong said things are “still on the up” in the district while nationally there are signs of a major slowdown.
After a second-straight record year of new builds, Ashburton continues to receive high numbers of new house consents per month, group manager compliance and development Jane Donaldson said.
The council is currently averaging 24 new house consents received per month this financial year (2022-23) she said, compared with 23.5 per month in 2021-22, and 19 per month in 2020-21.
“This is high in comparison to pre-Covid times since 2014 when we averaged just 10 new house consents received per month,” Donaldson said.
The Ashburton District generally goes through consent trends around three months after neighbouring districts, Donaldson said.
“With neighbouring districts indicating signs of a slowdown in consents, it’s possible this may start to show in our figures around March next year.”
Stats NZ reported 3568 new home consents being issued nationally in October, down 12% compared to October 2021, while Ashburton had 64 new consents issued, slightly down (8%) on the 69 in October last year but overall numbers remained high.
“The numbers are still going up so we seem to be bucking the trend that the nationwide situation is showing,” Wong said.
“The builders and designers are still saying they are busy, and we still have people coming through the doors making inquiries.”
The number of building consents issued in 2021-22 was 765 in total, which was a record $237,462,951 worth of consents, surpassing the previous year’s $164.4m.
That figure for 2022/23 was at $63,042,536 at the end of October, with 222 new home consents issued compared to 257 at the same stage last year.
Wong estimated the changes to the building code, relating to increased requirements around window insulation, added between $20,000- $30,000 to construction costs which were having an effect.
He said 27 new build consents were lodged between October 31 and November 1 to try to beat the new rule coming in on November 3.
A further change to the Building Code that will double the roof insulation requirements is also set to come in in May next year and Donaldson predicted there could be another consent surge before the changes come into effect.
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
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Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
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