10 Jun 2026
High-rise housing will be allowed on busy bus routes in Auckland.
This story was corrected on 10 June relating to the two options councillors have agreed on.
Auckland Council will progress plans to reverse widespread housing development up to three storeys and instead focus on allowing high-rise apartments near train stations and along busy bus routes.
The government reduced the minimum housing capacity required for Auckland Council's Plan Change 120 from two million to 1.4 million earlier this year.
As a result, council's planning team looked at what changes could be made to Plan Change 120.
The city's councillors have agreed to progress two options: one which allows the minimum intensity in the city centre, large town centres, train stations and five Western Line stations; the other more ambitions, allowing for taller buildings in the city and town centres and for high-rise housing on busy bus routes.
Mayor Wayne Brown said the second option was "moderately rational" as it allowed for intensification near public transport.
"We need to do this, rather than simply hearing from the loudest groups and individuals who are against virtually everything," Brown said.
"That means focusing on allowing more housing near stations that benefit the most from the CRL, and along frequent bus routes."
Both options retain the existing protections already proposed in Plan Change 120 to better protect people and property from natural hazards, as will protections for special character areas.
The Policy and Planning Committee discussed the changes at length on Tuesday, with some councillors noting the six years taken so far to lock in Auckland's planning rules had been exhausting, that successive governments had approached it like a "lazy Susan" (rotating service tray) and made a "massive balls up".
Chair Richard Hills said either of the two options to be progressed could go forward.
"Plan Change 120 and [now withdrawn] 78 touched almost every street in our whole city. These two plans, 87 or 85 percent of Auckland's urban area, will stay as per the unitary plan. Some people won't like that, some will think their property should have been upzoned," he said.
"People might be shocked that the last four years they've had the ability to build three storeys and now they may be back to single house through both of these scenarios."
"Both of these scenarios really focus on where the infrastructure is, where the transport is and it does leave most of those parts of Auckland unchanged," Hills said.
The proposals will go to local boards and iwi for feedback, then to public consultation before council provides a final plan to government this time next year.
Councillor Daniel Newman tabled a motion to progress with just the ringfenced option, saying it covered the requirement despite appearing to be the "bare bones" minimum.
The motion did not pass.
"We have been at this now for six bloody long years," Newman said.
"I commend the officers for maintaining their decorum and their sense of humour throughout these past six years because it has been a ridiculous 'lazy Susan' of planning rules set down by central government, for which we're having to respond to in real time."
Councillor Shane Henderson said the culture of the council continued to be to do as little as possible when it comes to allowing for more housing development.
"I don't understand why we have these conversations all the time and we don't see enabling housing as an opportunity, as a chance for more economic activity, for diverse beautiful neighbourhoods that more people can enjoy."
He said doing the bare minimum was not enough.
Henderson said the original plan to allow for two million more homes would bring the most economic benefit.
"City planning is about a long-term road map to make Auckland better over generations, and to remove that kind of short-termism, that's the attitude we should be having," Henderson said.
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