Building consents for new homes fell in April, partly due to the timing of Easter, Stats NZ said today.

The seasonally adjusted number of new homes consented fell 7.6 percent in April 2017 compared with March, mainly because of Easter, which occurred in April this year. This fall followed a 1.2 percent fall in March, and a 15 percent rise in February.

"Councils don't usually issue building consents on public holidays, so the timing of Easter drove a fall in April's building consents," business indicators senior manager Neil Kelly said.

A total of 2,106 new homes were consented in April 2017, compared with 2,361 in April 2016.

"On an annual basis, home consents have reached a 12-year high this year, with more than 30,000 new homes being consented per year," Mr Kelly said.