Auckland intensification plan gets a reprieve

Auckland Council Granted Concession on Intensification Plans

Auckland’s councillors have received a concession from RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop regarding the city’s new intensification plans. This development comes in light of a legislated requirement for Auckland Council to devise a zoning strategy that accommodates 2 million additional homes within the supercity by October 10. The proposal has sparked considerable debate, particularly in the context of local elections, as stakeholders discuss the most suitable locations and methods for expanding Auckland’s housing capacity over the next thirty years.

Although the council must still meet the deadline for publicly notifying its proposed plan change, Minister Bishop has assured that adequate time will be provided for public consultation. In correspondence with Mayor Wayne Brown and Councillor Richard Hills, Bishop indicated his intention to set an 18-month timeframe for the consultation process, ensuring that residents will have an opportunity to voice their opinions.

Community Perspectives on Intensification

For some, the concession has not gone far enough – Sally Hughes of the Character Coalition said the question remained: “Why do we need that level of intensification all at once?”. “We don’t need the potential for 2 million properties all at once,” Hughes argued for “staged intensification”.

Hughes said the decision to appoint panels and hold hearings was a win for “people power”, with suburban residents having made it “patently obvious how unhappy they were” with Bishop.

Despite the concession offered by RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop, not all stakeholders feel the measures go far enough. Sally Hughes, representing the Character Coalition, has questioned the necessity of such a high level of intensification being implemented simultaneously. Hughes stated, “Why do we need that level of intensification all at once? We don’t need the potential for 2 million properties all at once.” She advocated for a more gradual approach, suggesting that a programme of staged intensification would be preferable to the current plan.

Hughes also noted that the decision to establish panels and conduct hearings represents a significant achievement for community advocacy. She described it as a victory for “people power”, highlighting that suburban residents have made their dissatisfaction with Minister Bishop’s approach abundantly clear through their collective efforts and feedback.