Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): The construction sector is continuing to support the economy. Yesterday, Statistics New Zealand reported the volume of building activity jumped 8.9 percent in the December quarter, more than offsetting the 8.4 percent decline in the previous period, due to the Delta outbreak. Residential construction rose 5.2 percent, while industrial and commercial building activity increased 16 percent. Stats New Zealand also reported last week that annual building consents issued for January rose 22 percent to 48,707 compared with the previous year. Economists are continuing to expect momentum in the construction sector, despite the challenging environment that it is operating in. 