Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Yesterday, Statistics New Zealand released building consent data for July, showing the number of new homes consented remains historically high after a fall during alert level 4 in April. In July, 3,391 homes were consented, meaning over 10,000 were consented across May, June, and July—the largest three-month rolling total since the 1970s. The number of consents issued in the July year was 37,585, which is near the 45-year high recorded in February 2020. Westpac economists said that the continued strength in consent issuance points to a solid pipeline of construction activity through the back half of 2020 and early 2021. Alongside exporters, the construction sector will also play a critical role in growing our economy and providing jobs as we recover from COVID-19, while also increasing housing supply. It's encouraging to see data which shows ongoing high levels of investment in the sector and some certainty for the sector out to early next year.