Surge in new homes for Bay

Confidence is up in the Hawke's Bay building sector, with the number of new dwelling units authorised up on last month.

There were 43 new permits issued in October in Hawke's Bay, up from 24 in September, according to Statistics New Zealand.

The value of the permits was $11 million, up from $6 million in September.

While the statistics do not confirm a long-term recovery in the building sector, builders are optimistic, said Hawke's Bay Registered Master Builders Association president Gordon Sanson.

"The signs are definitely encouraging," he said.

"We have had some members who have had a good start to the month. Overall it is not dramatic but there is a good level of enquiry."

In the last year, the number and value of new dwelling permits have fluctuated markedly in Hawke's Bay, with some months recording the lowest number of permits issued in decades.

Nationally the trends for the number of new dwellings authorised, both including and excluding apartments, show moderate increases since March 2011.

In seasonally adjusted terms, October shows a large increase. Excluding apartments, the seasonally adjusted increase was 7.1 per cent.