WELLINGTON, March 1 (Xinhua) -- A total of 33,576 new homes were consented in the year ended January 2019, the highest number of new homes consented in a year since early 1975, New Zealand's statistics department Stats NZ said on Friday.

The number of new homes consented this year is at its highest level since the mid-1970s, construction statistics manager Melissa McKenzie said in a statement.

The growth in new homes consented in the year ended January 2019 was driven by townhouses, flats, and units.

These were up 33 percent from the year ended January 2018, compared with an increase of only 0.6 percent for stand-alone houses in the same period, statistics showed.

In Auckland alone, 13,272 new homes were consented in the year ended January 2019, which was slightly more than were consented for the whole country in the year ended July 2011, McKenzie said, adding the number of new homes consented in Auckland, up 20 percent from the January 2018 year, is at similar levels to the 1970s peak.