WELLINGTON, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Building consents for big commercial buildings, including shopping malls and convention centers, increased strongly in the year ending November 2018, New Zealand's statistics department Stats NZ said on Friday.

The value of building consents issued for shops, restaurants, and bars, social and cultural buildings, factories, and farm buildings all increased between 100 million NZ dollars (68 million U.S. dollars) and 300 million NZ dollars over the period, Stats NZ said.

"An increase in the intention to build more shops and social buildings was partly due to large consents for Auckland and Christchurch convention centers, and shopping malls in Auckland," construction statistics manager Melissa McKenzie said in a statement.

"Construction costs rise each year, but even accounting for price rises, there was a significant increase in the value of shops and social buildings consented in the year ending November," McKenzie said.

Non-residential consents issued exceeded 7 billion NZ dollars for the first time on record in the year ending November 2018, she added.

The value of offices and public transport buildings consented for the year had the largest fall, down 351 million NZ dollars from the November 2017 year, statistics showed. Enditem

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