Plan Change 120: Intensification placation comes unstuck with arguments over Epsom

Thursday, 19 February 2026

ACT leader David Seymour, who is the MP for Epsom, wants to see more detail.

A government backdown on intensification in Auckland meant to placate supercity voters may already have come unstuck as personalities within the coalition and council clash.

RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop announced on Thursday he would be changing the law, reducing controversial requirements to create zoning capacity for two million homes to just 1.6m.

However, to do this he will need support from the coalition government ‒ including ACT Party leader and Epsom MP David Seymour.

Seymour’s home electorate has been among the most vocal in its opposition to intensification targets, citing a lack of water infrastructure.

And the ACT Party leader said he would not sign off on changes to legislation unless council released information on how it would affect Auckland’s suburbs.

“They need to provide a summary of what 1.6 million looks like.

“Last time they [council] started working on [zoning] maps in April, they kept them secret. And then parliament voted for 2 million. And guess what? We managed to get them visible, and people were outraged.”

However Auckland mayor Wayne Brown said his council would not be going to Seymour, or any other member of parliament for approval.

“It's just not going to happen. We'll just stick with 2 million and carry on if that’s the case. I’m not sitting up here [in Auckland] to have David Seymour tell me what to do.

“I’m not going to be doing all this work on the off chance that we get approval from a Cabinet who mostly live somewhere else.”

Asked for his reaction to the Government’s announcement reducing the controversial capacity target, Brown told media only “stupid people are worried about that number”.

“But if it calms down some worried elderly residents in Epsom, then that's done its job.”

In response, Seymour called for “a bit of maturity”.

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown insists he won’t be dictated to by the Government.

“And to be honest, someone I’ve recently heard referred to as Wayne Biden might not be the right person to make fun of the elderly.”

Seymour told media there were “seven train stations” in Epsom and he supported development around them.

“People are comfortable with intensification, but to just pepper pot it right across the city where there’s no infrastructure, where people are going to be annoyed by development, that’s counter productive.”

Brown, meanwhile, told a press conference he wouldn’t be reducing intensification in Epsom to suit MPs trying to get re-elected.

“I don't want to see [zoning capacity] reduced down in Epsom. That's where we've got everything.

“We will do what we’re going to do, and it’ll be an Auckland decision, and we will make decisions and, and they’ll just have to live with it,” Brown said of the Government.

But Seymour was adamant on his stance.

“Aucklanders are sick of living in someone else’s game of Sim City.”