Statistics New Zealand released its building permits data on late Monday evening. Building permits in New Zealand jumped 6.6% in April, after a 9.7% drop in March. March's figure was revised up from a 9.8% fall.

Residential work rose 25% year-on-year in April, while non-residential work climbed 9.4%.

"The easing trend for new dwellings has been caused by a lull in apartment consents, especially in Auckland. However, apartment numbers tend to be quite volatile. For stand-alone houses, the trend is still increasing," Statistics New Zealand's business indicators senior manager Neil Kelly said.