WELLINGTON, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand approved more than 40,000 new homes in the year ended June 2026, the first time annual residential building consents have exceeded that level since 2023, official data showed on Monday.

A total of 40,581 new homes were consented during the 12-month period, up 19 percent from a year earlier, according to Stats NZ.

The total included 18,627 stand-alone houses, up 17 percent, and 21,954 multi-unit homes, including townhouses, flats, apartments and retirement village units, up 21 percent, the statistics department said in a release.

Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, recorded the largest number of new home consents at 17,097, up 20 percent, followed by Canterbury in the South Island, Stats NZ said.

In the June quarter, 10,964 new homes were consented, up 34 percent from the same period a year earlier, statistics showed.

Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk said in a statement that the figures pointed to a positive outlook for the sector, describing the increase as "a significant turnaround" after a decline in building activity that began in 2022.

Penk said the government would continue reforms aimed at reducing restrictive red tape and making it easier to build new homes.