NZ new house building consents fell 2.0 pct in Oct -Stats NZ

WELLINGTON Nov 30 (Reuters) - - The number of new dwelling consents approved in New Zealand fell in October as housing activity was sluggish amid a patchy economic recovery.

The number of new dwellings fell a seasonally adjusted 2.0 percent on the previous month compared with a downwardly revised 0.2 percent increase a month earlier, Statistics New Zealand said on Tuesday.

The government agency said a seasonally adjusted 1154 new dwellings were approved in October, down 17.7 percent on the same month a year earlier.

The data can be volatile because of the number of apartments authorised, which totalled 24 for the month compared with 60 in September.

Excluding new apartment units, the number of seasonally adjusted consents fell 1.1 percent on the previous month, the fourth consecutive monthly fall and the lowest number issued since July 2009. (Reporting by Gyles Beckford; editing by Balazs Koranyi)