People will be able to build up to three homes of up to three storeys on most sites without the need for a resource
consent, according to a newly introduced Bill with bipartisan support.
Currently, district plans typically only allow for one home of up to two storeys. The Government says the new rules will result in between 48,200-105,500 new homes built in next 5-8 years.
The SMC asked experts about today’s announcement.
Professor John Tookey, Professor of Construction Management, AUT University, comments:
“Today’s joint announcement is a significant step forward. That said, it is hard not to ask why it has taken so long to
come to this realisation. Successive governments of both political complexions have seen the problem of housing
affordability and availability spin further out of control. Practically up to this point the measures that have been
introduced have been limited in scope and effect. It is a measure of the desperate state of the housing sector that a
joint statement has been made. As Shakespeare said, ‘misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows’.
“The new policy measures, when followed through, will likely generate substantial positive uplift in housing provision.
Notwithstanding which, the forecasts of additional homes being delivered will be substantially dependent on availability
of capacity in the housing sector. There is a huge difference between an opportunity to build and a completed building.
To this end, equal effort will need to be applied to the creation of capacity through strategic investment, skills
training and availability of finance. It is only when there is a conjunction between the opportunity and the capability
that we will be able to tackle this problem. The good news is that this is a significant step forward in terms of
opportunity and should be commended accordingly.”
No conflict of interest.