RLB CRANE INDEX®

The number of long-term cranes across New Zealand’s main centres rose from 102 in Q1 2026 to 106 in Q3 2026. The national RLB Crane Index® rose from 129 to 134 points. However, compared with Q3 2025, the crane count is 10 lower, and the index is down from 147 points, highlighting that construction activity remains subdued despite a modest improvement this edition.

The latest count points to tentative stabilisation rather than a broad-based recovery. The increase was concentrated in Queenstown, Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin, while Auckland was unchanged. Crane numbers in Tauranga and Hamilton fell. Rising building consent volumes should support activity over time, although the recovery is likely to remain uneven across regions and sectors, particularly if the Reserve Bank raises interest rates further, with the South Island outlook more promising.

Residential crane activity strengthened this edition. The residential index increased from 132 to 145 points, with the number of residential cranes rising from 29 to 32. Residential cranes now account for 30% of all long-term cranes, up from 28% in Q1 2026, but remain well below the peak of 77 cranes recorded in Q3 2022.

Non-residential crane activity was broadly steady, edging up from 73 to 74 cranes, with the index rising from 128 to 130 points. The sector mix shifted materially: civic cranes increased from seven to 14, and hotel cranes from four to seven, while civil cranes fell from 28 to 22. Commercial, aged care, data centre / industrial, and mixed-use activity also edged lower, while health was unchanged and education increased modestly.

Auckland remains the epicentre of crane activity, hosting 58 long-term cranes, which is more than half the national total. Queenstown and Christchurch recorded the largest net gains, each increasing by five cranes, to 16 and 13 respectively. Wellington rose by two cranes and Dunedin by one. Tauranga fell by seven cranes to seven, while Hamilton fell by two, to two cranes.

Nationally, 47 cranes were added to sites, and 43 were removed, producing a net increase of four cranes. The modest improvement in crane numbers follows a prolonged downturn in construction activity. The total volume of building work put in place in the 2025-26 financial year fell 3.1% compared to the previous year (to $28.3 billion). However, the outlook is more positive. Dwelling consents have strengthened, and the outlook for infrastructure remains considerably more positive than for vertical building activity, supported by a solid public pipeline of work.