23 Apr 2013

Activity up in Canterbury

7:05 am on 23 April 2013

Activity picked up in Canterbury over April driven mainly by a rise in consumer confidence and spending.

ASB Bank's monthly Cantometer measures about 17 different statistics in five indexes, including construction, migration and employment.

The index, which was set to zero in June 2010, is now at 0.6, up from 0.5 last month.

ASB senior economist Jane Turner said the overall growth is broadening and becoming more self-sustaining.

She said the construction index has eased back slightly over recent months and there have been slightly lower non-residential consents, but these can be volatile.

Ms Turner said further growth is likely to be limited as supply struggles to keep up with demand.

She said growth is expected to become more balanced and will be evident in consumer spending and employment, as well as spreading to broader business services and support industries in Christchurch.