Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has welcomed the government’s approach and willingness to support Auckland Council plans to allow it to accelerate growth in the right places.
“This is good news for Auckland,” says Mayor Brown.
“The current legislative settings around Plan Change 78 are too restrictive and aren’t allowing us to enable housing and business opportunities in the right places, such as near key strategic corridors and transport hubs.
“We have been strongly advocating for government to support an amendment to the RMA that will enable us to withdraw “Plan Change 78: Intensification” (PC78) to the Auckland Unitary Plan in part (excluding the City Centre) and prepare a replacement plan change to be publicly notified later this year.
“The Minister has acknowledged that Council has made substantial progress in implementing the government’s growth direction already in the City Centre.”
Plan Change 78 was Auckland Council’s planning response to central government requirements under the National Policy on Urban Development 2020 (NPS-UD).
Since notification of the Plan Change, the Government cancelled the Auckland Light Rail project, made changes to the Resource Management Act and Auckland experienced significant flooding in 2023. None of these issues can be dealt with by Plan Change 78 under the restrictive settings underpinning it so the whole process has become mired in unnecessary complexity and delays and has held things up.
“By supporting this important first step, the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Hon Chris Bishop has given us the level of certainty we need to go ahead and plan to make the necessary improvements to fast-track growth and productivity,” says Mayor Brown.
“It also allows the Independent Hearing Panel to progress with what it has been mandated to do, with clear guidelines to finalise and adopt the City Centre precinct now the hearings have been completed, potentially enabling thousands of dwellings and significant development potential. The Independent Hearing Panel are currently preparing to complete the Metropolitan Centre hearings.”
Councillor Richard Hills, Chair of the Planning and Policy Committee appreciates government movement on this.
“I am grateful to Minister Bishop for working constructively with us on these complex issues, there’s more work to do but I am pleased that we’re able to move forward with a bit more certainty for our communities, especially on the subject of planning for hazards while increasing housing capacity around important transport corridors and the city centre.”
Mayor Brown says the willingness for legislative change highlights the importance of the Minister’s support.
“This is a bit like RMA gymnastics after a challenging few years for our city, with weather events and the cancellation of Auckland Light Rail affecting the way council could progress its planning programme,” says Mayor Brown.
“The government wants solutions that are viable and can be delivered quickly and at minimal cost to ratepayers. We can now do this knowing we have the support to change legislation that will allow us to supercharge growth in the right places in Auckland.
“This is another win for Aucklanders, will give the development community certainty, and was a key ask in my 2023 ‘Manifesto for Auckland’ which I’m pleased the government is listening to.”
Editors' Note
The City Centre is “excluded” because hearings have been completed, expecting greater intensification opportunities in Auckland’s main commerce hub.
For more information, the Gazette link can be found on the Ministry for the Environment website here
