Inside New Zealand’s $227b private sector pipeline

Pacifecon’s latest Market Watch report explores New Zealand’s private sector, alongside general information on projects around the country. This is part one of three looking at projects for the private, central government and council sectors. We also take a look at how the market is trending, letting you know what activity is happening and when.

We report on New Zealand’s construction industry, and Market Watch provides analysis focusing on newly reported projects, the progression of existing projects, construction starting, and cancellations across different sectors around the country. Each month we explore a different featured industry — so let’s take a jump into the private sector.

“At the end of May 2026, our research team had 10,398 private sector projects in the pipeline at a value of $227b,” Philip Dawes, Research Manager at Pacifecon, says. “This sector has the largest share of planned works at 56% of the number and 58% of the value. Both the value and the share of private sector projects in the pipeline saw a small increase when compared to May 2025.”

Dawes is responsible for managing and leading the nationwide research and edit team to ensure information is of the highest quality and accuracy. He’s across what’s happening in the private sector and oversees each report with a keen interest.

Where the work is

Auckland has 45% of New Zealand’s private sector pipeline projects and 30% of the value — a slight decrease when compared to 2025’s numbers. The Waikato/Bay of Plenty and Canterbury regions follow, and both these areas are sitting at a higher number and value than last year. Examples of some of the projects we’re reporting on in the planning stages include:

• Otago — $8.5b: the Lake Onslow/Lake Roxburgh hydro storage scheme

• Waikato — $5b: an offshore windfarm, north of Raglan

• Auckland — $1.3b: a sustainable mixed-use neighbourhood encouraging car-less living

“Looking at all projects around the country, in May there were 2,153 new projects added to the pipeline with a value of $8,960m. The value increased by 21% when compared to the previous month.”

Consents climbing

Market Watch also highlights the increases in the latest building consent numbers from Statistics New Zealand. In the year ended April 2026, the actual number of new dwellings consented was 39,087, up 16% from the previous 12 months.

In April this year there were 3,692 new dwellings consented. The non-residential building types with the highest values were office, administration and public transport buildings at $1.6b, education buildings at $1.3b, and storage buildings at $1.2b.

Beyond New Zealand

“We cover offshore projects, too, including the Pacific Islands — Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, the Cook Islands and others — as well as regions a little further afield, such as Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste.”

Pacifecon’s research team were tracking a total of 1,731 offshore projects in May with a total value of $91b. Twenty-five of these projects were newly reported, with a total value of $357m. One of the new high-value offshore projects is the redevelopment of Rabaul Port in Papua New Guinea, announced by Prime Minister Marape as one of the most strategic infrastructure investments for Papua New Guinea and the wider Pacific region.

Everyone on the team has their favourite projects they follow. There are always questions surrounding projects — how much will it cost, what will it look like, who will work on it and how. We answer these questions and let you know what activity is happening and when.

Reading the market

“And important to us as well is how the market is trending. In addition to a highlighted project breakdown, each Market Watch includes commentary and graphs for New Zealand’s regions across all sectors. It provides a comprehensive picture of planned construction across the country to help your business,” Dawes says.

Be informed, make strategic decisions based on projects planned and what has started, drive business growth, understand which regions are right for your future, and identify which sectors are growing in the regions. Head to pacifecon.co.nz/resources/market-watch/ to download sample reports, or contact the team to order your copy of Market Watch at projects@pacifecon.nz or on 09 445 0345.