The future of the Medium Density Residential Standards

This is a cross post by Malcom McCracken at Better things are possible. It was from between when National signalled their change in housing policy but before they announced it but highlights why the Medium Density Residential Standards are important. Yesterday, the leader of the National Party, Christopher Luxon, signalled that the National Party will seek to change the bipartisan housing policy the Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS) saying “I think we’ve got the MDRS wrong.”…
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Auckland needs infrastructure investment to support intensification

This is a letter to Auckland Council elected members, sent by the Coalition for More Homes on Tuesday the 6th of December 2023. We’re sharing it because it’s on point: infrastructure needs to keep up with new housing, and fast. Intensification is occurring across most of the Auckland urban area, delivering greater housing choice, improved affordability and lower carbon living.…
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Resource management reform moves to next phase

Yesterday the government announced a major milestone in the very lengthy process to modernise New Zealand’s resource management system, with both the Spatial Planning Bill and the Natural and Built Environments Bill being introduced to parliament. A lot of Environment Minister David Parker’s press release focused on the cost and time savings that are hoped for as part of the reform, but there were also some interesting parts of what he said around the more fundamental shift in the new legislation – away from an ‘effects based’ system and more to an ‘outcomes based system’.…
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