Auckland’s ambitious housing intensification plans have been scaled back by the Government, lowering the minimum housing capacity requirement for Plan Change 120 from approximately two million homes to 1.6 million. The move, announced today, follows what Housing Minister Chris Bishop described as a response to community concerns.
The decision has drawn immediate criticism from Labour and the Green Party, who accused the coalition government of political capitulation. Labour’s deputy leader, Carmel Sepuloni, suggested Bishop had been undermined within his own government, stating, “I don’t even consider that Chris Bishop necessarily thinks that it’s a good move,” and attributing the change to pressure from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and coalition partners.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, while stating he was not overly concerned with the specific numbers, expressed frustration with the process, revealing he only learned of the change hours before the public announcement. Brown emphasized his desire for Auckland Council to have sole authority over Plan Change 120, rejecting any central government oversight. “I’m not going to be doing all this work on the off chance that we get approval from a Cabinet who mostly live somewhere else,” he said. He indicated the council would proceed with its own legislated two million capacity mandate if central government attempted to impose restrictions.
The reduction in housing capacity has also sparked tension within the coalition government itself. ACT leader David Seymour, while supporting the backdown, cautioned that more work remained to be done and urged Mayor Brown to clarify what the 1.6 million target would gaze like in practice. Seymour also took issue with being referred to as “Wayne Biden” by Brown, responding with a pointed remark about the mayor’s political alignment. He further argued that zoning capacity was not the primary obstacle to increased housing supply, citing slow consent processes and infrastructure costs as more significant barriers.
Bishop outlined the process following the legislation change, stating that Auckland Council would determine which areas to downzone, while still adhering to the National Policy Statement on Urban Development and upzoning around key City Rail Link stations. He anticipated legislation would be passed in late March or early April, bypassing a select committee process.
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick condemned the move as a capitulation to homeowners at the expense of broader housing affordability, referencing the Infrastructure Commission’s recent recommendations for increased upzoning around transport corridors. She also highlighted National’s previous reversal on the 2021 medium density residential standards, questioning the government’s commitment to addressing the housing crisis. Swarbrick called for an urgent parliamentary debate on the announcement, a request that was denied by Speaker Gerry Brownlee.
Labour’s housing spokesperson, Kieran McAnulty, echoed Sepuloni’s criticism, asserting that Bishop had been “completely undermined” by the Prime Minister and that this marked the second time National had retreated from intensification plans. He questioned the government’s ability to address housing needs if it lacked the resolve to maintain its original policies.