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QV CostBuilder is New Zealand’s most comprehensive construction cost database.
April 2024
In our latest April update, approximately 11,300 current material & labour prices have been applied to CostBuilder, resulting in roughly 2,000 changes to the data across Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Here are some notable changes since our last construction cost update in March:
Cost planning rates
On average, the Elements have not increased since the last update, which is the second month in a row, following the 2024 Q1.3 update. However, there are changes to some elements, ranging between -0.2% and +0.7%, which are as follows:
- Sanitary Plumbing: up 0.7%
- Windows and Exterior Doors: down 0.2%
Detailed rates
On average, the Trades increased by 0.1% since the last update, also following a similar increase in the 2024 Q1.3 update. The range of change is between -0.1% and +1.6%, with the major changes as below:
- Gasfitting: up 1.6%
- Plumbing: up 0.8%
- Formwork: down 0.1%
March 2024
In our March update, approximately 11,300 current material & labour prices have been applied to CostBuilder, resulting in roughly 3,700 changes to the data across Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Here are some notable changes since our last construction cost update:
Cost planning rates
On average, the Elements have not increased since the last update. However, there are changes to some elements, ranging between -0.3% and +0.6%, with the largest being:
- Wall Finishes: up 0.6%
- Partitions: up 0.4%
- Structural Walls: down 0.3%
- Sanitary Plumbing: down 0.3%
Detailed rates
On average, the Trades increased by 0.1% since the last update, with the range between -1.1% and +2.0%. The major changes are:
- External Works: up 2.0%
- Plasterboard linings: up 1.9%
- Plumbing: up 0.6%
- Concrete Blockwork: down 1.1%
February 2024
In our February update, approximately 10,700 current material & labour prices have been applied to CostBuilder, resulting in nearly 25,000 changes to the data across Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Here are some notable changes since our last major construction cost update:
Cost planning rates
On average, the Elements increased by 0.2% since the last update, with a range between 0.0% and +0.7%. The top 5 changes are:
- Ceiling Finishes: up 0.7%
- Structural Walls: up 0.6%
- Exterior Walls, Exterior Finish: up 0.5%
- Sanitary Plumbing: also up 0.5%
- Exterior Works: up 0.4%
Detailed rates
On average, the Trades increased by -0.1% since the last update, with the range between -9.5% and +1.3%. The major changes are:
- Laminated Timber: down 9.5%
- Carpentry: down 0.7%
- Excavation: down 0.6%
Building costs per square metre
The average change over the six centres (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton and Palmerston North) since our last major update in November 2023 was 0.3% for both non-residential buildings (excluding educational buildings) and residential buildings.
Want to know more?
To see the full list of changes – and to take the guesswork out of pricing your next project – subscribe to QV CostBuilder today.
Your subscription grants instant access to a wealth of regularly updated data, covering everything from the building costs per square metre for a range of different buildings, to the indicative costs of more than 10,500 other items, plus labour rates and hours, plant constants, and more than we can list here.