House building is through the roof – at its highest level since mid-2004.

Latest building consent statistics tell us nearly 1700 houses, worth $1 billion nationally, were approved for construction.

File photo.

That was up $184 million or 22 per cent for the same period the previous year.

And Bay of Plenty's one of drivers. The Bay had one of the largest increases.

The number of new houses consented in 2015 in BOP was 1901 – up 489 or 35 per cent, according to the latest figures from Statistics New Zealand.

The region was exceeded only by Auckland (up by 1619 to 9251 or 21 per cent) and Hamilton (up 631 to 3000 or 27 per cent.)

The regions that consented the most new dwellings were Auckland (34 per cent of the national total), Canterbury (24 per cent), Waikato (11 per cent and Bay of Plenty (7 per cent).