PC120 debate gets Auckland councillors fired up
Wednesday, 11 March 2026
Auckland’s councillors voted on Tuesday to proceed with planning for intensification within a 10km radius of the CBD, following a dramatic debate that included songs, scripture and swearing.
The tone was set with a deputation from perennial public submitter Graeme East, who played Malvina Reynolds’ 1962 tune Little Boxes, decrying development of “dickey ticky tacky little” houses.
The vote was the latest in the ongoing saga of PC120 - a government-mandated plan change originally meant to create zoning capacity for 2 million homes, but now reduced to 1.6m following a concession from Minister for RMA Reform Chris Bishop.
The supercity has been stuck in planning limbo for five years, with the council now having spent $13 million on the process and dedicating 55 full time staff. They’re working through a record 10,500 submissions from the public.
Read more:
Plan Change 120: Intensification placation comes unstuck with arguments over Epsom
‘Learned a lesson’: Chris Bishop cuts Auckland housing target by 400,000 homes
Auckland Council is required to inform Bishop about where and how it intends to intensify by March 17 - but it’s proven to be an emotionally and politically-charged decision.
Staff put up a proposal that would see councillors endorse “principles” for selecting which suburbs and streets would be spared from upzoning, based on accessibility to jobs, services and public transport.
But councillors John Gillon and Christine Fletcher sought an amendment to strike out a proposed 10km intensification radius from the city centre. Fletcher also wanted to await assurances the Government wouldn’t again change the rules as part of ongoing RMA reform, while Gillon wanted to make development conditional on a minimum number of car parks.
Some six hours into the debate, an evidently irritated mayor Wayne Brown interrupted Fletcher: “For f…’s sake, get on with it”.
But Fletcher said she was undeterred in getting the planning right for Aucklanders.
“I’m used to the mayor speaking to me with that language on a regular basis, but if it’s designed to intimidate me, you’ve absolutely missed the mark,” she said.
Howick councillor Maurice Williamson suggested unfettered development would result in more blocks of “rubbish” housing.
“It means a developer might come into your street, build a heap of junk; 17 units with no car parks, and devalue all the other properties in that street. I can show you examples now with cars parked all over the berms.”
But Brown said he wouldn’t support pushing intensification to Wellsford and Pukekohe so councillors could get “re-elected by NIMBYs in Parnell”.
“Homeowners and developers want to move on from five years of dithering. They are fed up,” Brown said.
Waitakere councillor Shane Henderson meanwhile pushed to go back to the 2 million figure, calling Bishop’s concession “pure opportunism”.
“Lets be real, this is an attempt to block development in the best land in the city … Quite simply the intention is to downzone wealthy suburbs.
“Why is it OK for Massey to have more housing intensity than Parnell and Ponsonby? There is no sensible reason for excluding central isthmus communities from playing their part again.”
Whau councillor Sarah Paterson-Hamlin said the council was at risk of sending everyone packing to Melbourne by delaying zoning changes, while Maungakiekie-Tāmaki councillor Josephine Bartley said there was “no chance in hell” she would have been able to afford a house for her and her dog if it wasn’t for intensification.
But, Waitematā councillor Mike Lee brought Brown’s campaign donations from developers, suggesting they had influenced his thinking on rezoning.
“They were wise donations, they’ll get it all back again. That’s politics,” said Lee. “And I would expect a leaderly approach, Mr Mayor, not just sniping at NIMBYs in Ponsonby.”
Lee then took aim at Henderson: “If you listen to him most of the time, you would think intensification was the best thing since sliced bread and that people who don’t want it are reactionaries - now he doesn’t like it all, and he wants to impose it on the other side that happens to be special character areas. That’s quite revealing actually.”
Henderson fired back: “that’s not good behaviour”, while committee chairperson Richard Hills said “there’s no need to rip into other councillors”.
“That’s debate,” called John Watson, who added that it was “nonsense” that only some parts of Auckland were taking intensification.
“What really disturbs me is this misleading notion that somehow by rezoning big chunks of Ponsonby and Herne Bay that it’s going to be opened up to the poor and dispossessed of Auckland.
“It’s not. You’re not going to get any closer to it than you are now.”
‘Not voting for delay’
An exasperated Hills urged councillors to stop arguing and “move forward to a sensible place”.
“I’m doing my goddamn best with the current government, who I’m not a super fan of, to try and get the outcomes for our community and our city and move this forward.
“I’m sorry if I sound pissed off. Yes, this whole thing is stupid, but we are stuck in a legal quagmire. I’m not voting to delay.”
Then Manurewa-Papakura councillor Daniel Newman quoted the biblical book of Jeremiah.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
“That is not a quote from either Chris Bishop or Chris Luxon - it’s God’s letter to the exiles,” said Newman. “I feel like we have not an elected government but a self-appointed deity dictating this nonsensical bullshit.”
However, he took issue with Hills’ language.
“I don’t agree with your damnation of the Lord, Mr Chair, but I understand your frustration.”
Hills apologised for his earlier “blaspheming” in using the Lord’s name in vain.
Ultimately, Fletcher and Gillon’s amendment failed, 16-5, and the resolution to proceed succeeded with only one vote against.
Brown said it had been a “long, terrible day”.
He said he supported proceeding with PC120 because “while it’s not the best in the world, it’s better than what we had”.
And, he told councillors, “if you don’t support it, I’m going to come and build a three-storey building right on your fence”.