Vote for Auckland’s housing intensification goes through at heated council meeting

Wednesday, 24 September 2025

Auckland councillors have voted through a plan change that will enable 15- and 10-storey buildings in parts of the city.

At an extraordinary policy and planning meeting on Wednesday, the councillors, mayor and two houkara (independent Māori statutory boad) members, voted 18-5 in favour of significant intensification to parts of Auckland.

Those who voted against it were Christine Fletcher, Mike Lee, Ken Turner, Wayne Walker and John Watson. Had there been a majority against it, Plan Change 78 (PC78), which enabled three-story buildings in flood zone areas would have continued into law.

Fletcher’s amendment to delay a decision for three months to have more time for consultation was voted down.

Resource Management Act Reform Minister Chris Bishop will be formally notified and a submission period will run from November 3 to December 19. There will be hearings following that and it will be wrapped up in 18 months’ time.

The replacement plan, which will be known as Plan Change 120, continues to enable up to 2 million homes to be built in the city. There will be zoning for intensification in some suburbs, along rail corridors and by train and bus stations. It also reduces more building in flood plains.

The seven-hour meeting started with chair Richard Hills stating the obvious: “We have a big day ahead, so we’ll try to keep it as focused as possible.”

Then the council’s director of policy, planning and governance, Megan Tyler, gave a presentation on the merits and weaknesses of PC78 and the replacement plan, not that it was ever likely that PC78 would be voted through.

Tyler made a point of explaining what planned enabled capacity is, saying that it wasn’t a target and there will never be 2 million homes in Auckland.

“The Government is very clear. Having greater capacity than you need provides for more competition in the market for different kinds of homes, and in locations where people most want to live,” she said.

Mike Lee asked how the figure of 2 million was landed upon.

Tyler said it was from the modelling in PC78, which enabled the three-storey, three-dwelling buildings across the city. The Government had stipulated that, whatever the council decided at the meeting, enabling up to 2 million dwellings was locked-in.

Maurice Williamson was unhappy that both options on the table required that capacity.

“We’ve almost been given a choice between the firing squad and a lethal injection,” he said, which caused an uproar among other councillors, before Hills stepped in.

“I’m the chair and I’m asking for the violent language to stop about housing,” he said.

Fletcher’s amendment was to extend to three months the period of consultation, community engagement, modelling and amendments to the draft replacement plan change.

During that time, the controversial aspects of intensification around some suburbs could be remedied, she believed.

Having taken legal advice, she understood the Government legislation did not require councillors to submit a draft plan change by October 10. What was needed was to provide information on how the replacement plan change would comply with the Government’s requirements.

Mayor Wayne Brown said he had spoken to Bishop, who informed him the process needed to be completed in 18 months. So if more time was spent locking in the plan, there would be less time for consultation.

“The minister has made it quite clear, that if we don’t make a decision today, he will,” Brown said.

“I’ve been against Wellington having more input in things. So just kicking the can down the road because you don’t want to make a decision now is not in the interest of Auckland, it’s just dithering.

“We want to give people the time for a proper hearings process.”

Fletcher’s amendment was voted down 15-8.

'I feel really despondent for Auckland,” she said.

“The choice is really simple. It just required us to take a little more time and to be calling taking time to get a plan right ‘dithering’, I find really offensive.

“But approve this flawed plan today and own the consequences,” she told her fellow councillors. “I would have asked you to have the courage to demand better.”

Wayne Walker also said he was disappointed the amendment was voted down.

“The Government is vulnerable if Auckland stands up to them,” he said.

“But our leadership is gutless, in my view, and that needs to change.”

Brown said he supported the replacement plan and hit back at Walker and the other councillors who voted through PC78, which opened the door for 2 million homes, in the first place.

“It's the right thing to do for the city, and we'll have further conversations with the Government about the 2 million. They will start to realise they've got that bit wrong,” Brown said.

“But they were forced to do that because you all sat there quietly and accepted MDRS [the three-story buildings] without understanding what you've accepted.

“So don't give any lessons about not being tough with the Government. You should listen in the past, I've inherited your decisions.”