‘Learned a lesson’: Chris Bishop cuts Auckland housing target by 400,000 homes

Thursday, 19 February 2026

RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed today that the Government will amend the Resource Management Act to cut the minimum housing capacity Auckland Council is required to zone from just over two million homes to 1.6 million homes.

“Aucklanders have been clear that they want housing growth – in the right places and where infrastructure can support it. Today’s changes show the Government has listened to Aucklanders,” he said.

The minister was speaking at an event hosted by the Committee for Auckland entitled ‘Unlocking Urban Growth in Auckland’.

A 2025 amendment to the Resource Management Act required Auckland Council to zone for a capacity of two million homes.

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That figure, while only a theoretical long term development target, has proven contentious in the supercity, spurring tense public meetings and the formation of community groups.

“To be frank, the 2 million number was a red herring that transformed into a lightning rod,” Bishop said.

The Post previously reported that National’s Auckland MPs were taking heat over the issue and were lobbying cabinet behind the scenes for the mandate to be watered down.

Bishop told Thursday’s audience he had “learned a lesson”

“It’s clear a lot of Aucklanders are concerned about what growth means for them. That’s completely understandable. People want to know that their suburbs will continue to be liveable. That is what Government wants too.

“This kind of angst in Auckland isn’t helpful for our housing goals. We need people to come with us on the journey of more capacity and more housing.”

In addition to reducing the total number of homes Auckland needs to zone for, Bishop said he would enable the council to load more of that growth on the CBD.

“For largely unfathomable RMA legal reasons, the city centre zone is not included in PC120, and the council does not have a simple mechanism to unlock this potential,” Bishop said.

“Therefore, Cabinet has agreed that I will start an investigation into these planning provisions that are holding back Auckland’s city centre.”

This change could potentially mean less intensification in the suburbs.

“My intention is that any additional housing capacity enabled in the city centre will count towards the new requirement to provide capacity for at least 1.6 million dwellings.”

Bishop has previously highlighted that the legislation also allowed Auckland Council to “downzone” in flood-prone areas, which was a provision it had asked for.

That was in contrast with the previous Labour government’s Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS), which gave developers blanket rights for three storey townhouses.

But the amendment still required the council to zone for the same capacity as MDRS, which worked out at about two million dwellings.

Auckland councillor and former National MP Maurice Williamson called it a choice between “a lethal injection and a firing squad” during a council debate.

New legislation also instructed the council to focus development around train stations - many of which sit within the “leafy” Auckland suburbs. The result was a plan change that would see apartment towers pop up next door to heritage bungalows.

Resident groups like the Character Coalition have railed against the planning changes, particularly in areas where infrastructure is already under strain. On the other side of the spectrum, the Coalition for More Homes says the changes are necessary to improve housing affordability.

Also in the background are negotiations with Auckland Council over a regional investment deal, which The Post understands have been strained.

Mayor Wayne Brown is not opposed to intensification in the central suburbs, but is a vocal critic of greenfield “sprawl” at the rural fringes, which Bishop has also sought to enable. Brown has repeatedly threatened to turn his negotiation points into election issues.

Amid the turmoil, sources said, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon made a captain’s call to walk back elements of Bishop’s housing policy.

Last month Luxon said he was having “very dynamic” conversations with the minister.

“It's clear to us that change is needed and we're prepared to make that change. I don't think there's a problem when you actually say, ‘I’ve listened to feedback and I'm going to do something different about it’,” Luxon said.

Bishop told the crowd at Thursday’s event that he was “determined to put this issue to bed once and for all”.

“Auckland has been struggling with an update to [its zoning plan] since 2021. I accept Parliament hasn’t helped, but it’s now 2026. I think we’ve now got the balance right.”