Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): The Government's continuing support to secure the economic recovery is being reflected in the overall volume of house building. Building activity rose a seasonally adjusted 3.7 percent in the March 2021 quarter, compared with the previous quarter. The increase was underpinned by continued strength in home building, which rose 4.3 percent, led by Auckland. There was also a rebound on commercial projects. Westpac bank's economist expects strong construction activity over the year ahead, given the size of the existing pipeline of work. They note that the strong pace of home building combined with a sharp drop-off in population growth as a result of the border closure means that the country is now making significant progress in addressing the housing shortage that has accumulated over previous years.