Abstract
The Value of Building Work Put In Place has been conducted since 1965. It was introduced to supplement building consent statistics as an economic indicator. Information for the series is obtained from building consents and from a postal survey called the Quarterly Building Activity Survey (QBAS). Building consents are the frame for QBAS - see Building Consents Issued
Whereas the monthly Building Consents Issued series is an early economic indicator of the intention to build, the Value of Building Work Put in Place series is designed to measure the actual value of work done each quarter on buildings.
Purpose
The purpose of the quarterly Value of Building Work Put in Place is to provide an estimate of the value and volume of work put in place on construction jobs in New Zealand. The value of building work includes residential building work and non-residential building work, which are summed to give all building work. The Value of Building Work put in Place measures activity in the construction sector, and complements building consents issued information (which represents the intention to build).
Citation Information
Title
Value of Building Work Put in Place
Alternate Title
Quarterly Building Activity Survey
Creator
Statistics New Zealand: Business Indicators
Publisher
Statistics New Zealand
Rights
Statistics New Zealand
Coverage Information
Temporal Coverage
- 1965-06
Topical Coverage
- Business statistics
- Macroeconomic statistics
- Economic accounts
- Business and agricultural surveys
Studies
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Publication
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Significant events impacting this study series
Significant events impacting this study series
COVID-19 and the March, June, and September 2020 quarters
From 23 to 26 March 2020, New Zealand transitioned from COVID-19 alert level 2 to level 4 and remained at level 4 for the final days of the March 2020 quarter. NZ remained in COVID-19 alert level 4 lockdown for most of the first month of the June 2020 quarter, with only essential work permitted. Construction work was allowed to recommence on 28 April 2020 with the move to alert level 3.
We adjusted both the modelled and survey components of the building activity estimates, published as Value of building work put in place, noted in the Data Collection for Value of Building Work Put in Place from December 2014 Quarter.
Values for the September, June, and March 2020 quarters remain provisional and may be revised when we publish statistics for the December 2020 quarter.
Quarterly survey collection mode change 2019
In the March 2019 quarter we introduced an online data collection, replacing paper questionnaires that had administered by post for over 50 years.
Methodology change 2015
In the March 2015 quarter we introduced methodology based on modelled administrative data, supplemented by a postal survey, to estimate the value of building work put in place. This replaced a stratified sample survey that had been used for 50 years. For further information, see Data Collections/ Value of Building Work Put in Place from December 2014 quarter.
Constant price series
From the June 2006 quarter, the method for calculating the constant price series (ie the price deflated series) was updated to be based on September 1999 quarter prices.
Deflation of values 1998
Deflated values (volumes) for residential buildings, non-residential buildings and all buildings was implemented from the March 1998 quarter.
Building type change 1996
From the September 1996 quarter, consents received for Buildings with multiple purposes were split up and coded under more than one building type. Prior to this time the work was coded to Miscellaneous and Multipurpose.
Seasonal adjustment methodology change 1994
The seasonal adjustment methodology changed, when the figures for the December 1994 quarter were released, from fixed quarterly forward factors to concurrent seasonal adjustment. In addition, all seasonally adjusted figures are now subject to revision each quarter. This enables the seasonal component to be better estimated and removed from the series.
Building Consents
Under the building regulations effective from 1 January 1993, building authorisations are applied for under the Building Consents system administered by territorial authorities. Prior to this date, applications were made under the Building Permits system. The Building Consents system, however, has wider coverage than the Building Permits system. The additional coverage includes some government building (particularly work on education buildings) and on-site drainage and reticulation work.
Data is available from Infoshare http://www.stats.govt.nz/infoshare/
Usage and limitations of the data
Usage and limitations of the data
Usage The quarterly Value of Building Work Put in Place statistical series is the best available measure of the value of building work done by the construction industry. Whereas the Building Consents Issued series measures the numbers, values and floor areas of consented building jobs, the work put in place series measures the actual value of the work done on the consented jobs.
Main users of the data
Main users of the data
Financial institutions, Reserve Bank, Treasury, economic forecasters, media
Frequency
Frequency
3) Quarterly