LGNZ welcomes Government inquiry into land supply for housing

Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) has welcomed today’s announcement by the Government to request the Productivity Commission to look into ways to improve the supply and development of land for housing in New Zealand’s cities.

LGNZ President Lawrence Yule says local government like central government, land developers and the public want to see a good supply of housing delivered at an affordable price. Achieving that goal is predicated on effective regulation, planning and the right sort of incentives.

“We welcome this inquiry into systems to identify restrictive legislation and regulations. The overall legislative and regulatory framework at both a central and local government level is cumbersome and does not enable agile planning, a factor highlighted in previous enquiries,” says Mr Yule.

“One aspect of particular interest to local authorities is the release of land to the market for development. Currently, local authorities cannot control when land is released. We need to look at the incentives associated with this.”

LGNZ is also pleased to see a focus on sharing leading practice by identifying which local authorities are effective in supplying land to meet demand.

“This is consistent with the Centre of Excellence model Local Government New Zealand has adopted in transport and other areas.”

“We are looking forward to participating in the inquiry and to reviewing the findings,” says Mr Yule.

The Commission’s final report to the Government is due on 30 September 2015.

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