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Auckland Council has voted to withdraw its current planning proposal and replace it with a new version designed to better protect homes and communities from flooding and other natural hazards, while directing housing growth to safer, better-connected areas.
The Policy and Planning Committee voted 18–5 last night to scrap Plan Change 78 and replace it with Plan Change 120, which will now go to public consultation later this year.
It came after a marathon seven-hour meeting at the Auckland Town Hall yesterday, September 24.
Plan Change 120 introduces tougher restrictions on development in high-risk flood and coastal zones, including tighter consenting rules for new builds and, in the worst-affected areas, limiting development to single houses.
It also removes the blanket rules that previously allowed three-storey housing across most of the city, instead concentrating higher density development around town centres, train stations and rapid bus routes.
Mayor Wayne Brown said the decision would “future-proof” Auckland.
“We need a physically and financially resilient future. This will allow us to downzone flood-prone land and build up in areas that make sense—like around transport corridors and where we’ve invested significantly in infrastructure,” he said.
Councillor Richard Hills, chair of the committee, said the shift was partly driven by the devastation of the 2023 floods.
“Aucklanders are clear they want stronger rules to limit development in high flood risk areas. This decision lets us do that more quickly than Plan Change 78 would have allowed, while ensuring homes are built where demand and transport access are strongest,” he said.
The new proposal will continue to provide capacity for about two million homes, as required by central government, while giving infrastructure providers a clearer picture of where growth is expected.
Building heights of up to 15 storeys are planned around Maungawhau, Kingsland and Morningside stations, and up to 10 storeys near Baldwin Avenue and Mt Albert.
If approved by the Minister for the Environment, Plan Change 120 is expected to be publicly notified on 30 October, with submissions open from 3 November to 19 December. Public hearings will follow in 2026.
