Hon Dr Nick Smith

Minister for the Environment
15 August 2016 Media Statement
Auckland Council’s passing of Unitary Plan welcomed

The Government is welcoming Auckland Council’s passing of the new Unitary Plan, which is a key component of the long-term solution to the city’s housing challenges, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“This plan eases zoning regulations and the more than 400,000 properties it allows for is about double that of the plan which was notified by the council in 2013.

“The Government has always said that council rules which have blocked new housing development are at the core of the city’s housing problems and so this new plan is at the heart of the long-term solution to Auckland’s housing problems.

“It allows the city to go both up and out, and reduces the types of residential zones from more than 90 to six, allowing the council to move on from the cumbersome and outdated plans it inherited from the previous councils.

“The Government is working on ensuring a smooth transition from the Special Housing Area mechanism to the new Unitary Plan and will be working with the council to maintain the strong housing construction momentum.

“We wish to acknowledge the huge work done by Independent Hearings Panel chair Judge David Kirkpatrick and his team in hearing more than 10,000 submissions on the plan. Their careful consideration has helped conclude this process in a timely way and address the core issues of housing supply, economic growth and the environment for Auckland.

“The successful conclusion of this process confirms the decisions the Government took to provide for a streamlined process for developing Auckland’s new Unitary Plan. The fact that this process has produced a new plan for a third of New Zealand in less than half the time the normal Resource Management Act process takes also provides a steer on the type of changes which are required to that Act.

“The Government will be carefully reviewing the council’s final decisions, to be publicly notified on Friday, for details we may wish to further comment on.”

© Scoop Media