WELLINGTON, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The volume of non-residential building work rose in the September 2019 quarter after falling in the June quarter, New Zealand's statistics department Stats NZ said on Thursday.
Non-residential building activity, which includes public and commercial construction, rose 2.4 percent after falling 3.3 percent in the June quarter. This increase accounts for typical seasonal patterns and higher construction costs, Stats NZ said.
"More work on accommodation and storage buildings this quarter helped boost non-residential building activity," construction statistics manager Melissa McKenzie said in a statement.
"Increases in non-residential building activity, especially in Auckland and the South Island, more than offset a fall in residential building work," McKenzie said.
The volume of residential construction fell for the second quarter in a row after significant growth in the March 2019 quarter, she said.
Total building activity rose 0.4 percent in the September 2019 quarter, statistics showed.
The volume of building work remains at historically high levels and has been generally increasing since 2012, McKenzie said, adding activity was originally boosted by the Canterbury earthquake rebuild, and more recently by developments in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city.
