‘Don’t panic’: Why Aucklanders received a ‘confusing’ letter from the council
Tuesday, 4 November 2025
Bewilderment abounds in the supercity where every household has received a letter in recent weeks alerting them that their property has been identified as “affected” by plans for intensification.
It comes as Auckland Council opens public submissions on Plan Change 120 - a new zoning proposal that will see most suburbs in the central isthmus and on the North Shore opened up to apartments and townhouses.
While the issue has been debated in the council chambers at length, for the average Aucklander the household letter drop appears to have been something of a rude awakening, and councillors have had to answer for it.
“Don’t panic,” Albert-Eden councillor Julie Fairey urged residents on social media.
She said the council was of the view that all ratepayers had the potential to be affected by the plan change and therefore was required under law to notify them.
“That's why folks are getting these letters, not because change is imminent and you need to act immediately,” said Fairey.
Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Ward councillor Josephine Bartley also urged calm.
“If you’re renting or in state house it doesn’t mean you’re being evicted,” she wrote.
“Some areas are going from being allowed to build a one storey house to being allowed to build six storeys, 10 or even 15 storeys. Some streets, there’s no change.
“Why is the council doing this? Because the Government told them to allow more housing in Auckland and allow them to be built near train stations, main bus routes and transport hubs.”
However, one immediate change implemented by PC120 is zoning for “natural hazards”, with detailed new maps showing swathes of properties now considered to be in a floodplain.
According to a council advisory, “any development in a hazard risk area must go through a strict risk assessment”.
“In many cases, a ‘non-complying’ activity status will be applied to assess consent applications for development sensitive to hazards, like homes or schools, in high-risk areas,” the advisory said.
In the most flood-prone areas, including parts of Henderson, Milford and Māngere, the council has taken the extra step of downzoning to single house lots.
Pockets of single house zoning also appear in the rest of the city, but maps show the majority of suburbs proposed to be upzoned to light orange “Mixed Housing Urban Zone” (terrace housing and low-rise apartments) and dark orange “Terrace Housing and Apartment Building Zone” (five to 15 storeys, depending on variations).
Deputy mayor Desley Simpson encouraged Aucklanders to take a look at their house on the online consultation map and make a submission on the plan change.
“If you think there’s a better way forward, or want to understand what’s currently proposed for your neighbourhood, my advice is to take some time this week to look at the proposal and see what it means for you,” she said.
“For example, you could suggest focusing more intensification around main transport corridors or other areas that make sense for growth if you want less intensification elsewhere.”
Waitākere Ward councillor Ken Turner told constituents they ought not to be “unduly anxious” about the letter.
“In my humble opinion, there are so many unanswered questions and issues to be debated that it will be a long time before councillors vote on any resolution fully implementing PC120,” he said.
Submissions are open until 5pm on December 19. After that, there will be a 20-month hearing process.
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown addressed the issue of the confusing letter in his maiden speech on Friday.
“Sadly, staff got off to a bad start here with a poorly written letter to residents, but they’ve assured me they won’t do that again.”
Brown supported the proposed plan change, saying it was needed to focus development in the central suburbs.
“We must change Auckland from the world’s largest suburb to a global city. It’s already embarrassingly known as the city of sprawl.”