With bi-partisan support, and little allowance for submissions, the Government passed the Resource Management (Housing) Amendment Act in December 2021. This will see three dwellings of three-storey development on all residential land throughout Auckland, except on properties Auckland Council say are covered by a “qualifying matter.” This may include areas already protected in the Unitary Plan because of their special character.

Even though Auckland Council, with significant public input, had already defined Special Character Areas in the Unitary Plan in 2016, and despite record intensification already exceeding expectations, the Act required Council to review these areas. With no legal requirement to do so, Council now proposes that up to a third of homes in Special Character Areas will no longer qualify. This will result in their destruction.

Unless Aucklanders take action, developers will inevitably build in these areas to the maximum height and bulk with bare minimum design standards. There is no incentive or requirement to do otherwise. The intrinsic qualities of these urban environments and collective actions of generations of Aucklanders, will be lost forever.

Character Coalition, representing more than 60 Auckland organisations is making the most robust expert case possible and participating fully in the planning process. We’re working with lawyers, architects, planners and resource consent professionals to defend Auckland from this devastating new law.