Commercial building activity slumped in the first three months of this year, reflecting underlying weakness in the construction industry.
Statistics New Zealand says commercial building work fell by 10.4% and residential by 2%.
Overall, building activity declined a seasonally adjusted 6.3% in the March quarter.
These latest figures follow a 1.6% fall in building consents for April.
ASB economist Chris Tennant-Brown says while building activity dropped significantly in Christchurch, the underlying weakness remains.
On an annual basis, building work rose 4.5% percent in the year to the end of March.
