Resource Management (Auckland Housing) Amendment Act

In force

The Resource Management (Auckland Housing) Amendment Act amends parts of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) that apply to Auckland Council’s Plan Change 120 to the Auckland Unitary Plan.

Under the

Resource Management Act 1991

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On this page

Purpose and rationale
Key provisions
Implementation
Related publications

Full text

Resource Management (Auckland Housing) Amendment Act (New Zealand Legislation website)

Status

In force from 2 April 2026

Purpose and rationale

The Government has made targeted amendments to the RMA to provide Auckland Council with more flexibility to respond to submissions on its Plan Change 120.

It provides flexibility by reducing the minimum capacity requirement, giving Auckland Council greater discretion over where housing density is enabled, allowing it to better align growth with infrastructure capacity, public transport access, and local constraints.

Changing the capacity requirement mid‑process creates legal and procedural complexity, which necessitates bespoke legislative provisions to ensure certainty, fairness, and transparency while PC120 is still in progress.

The Act also provides a solution to a transitional issue related to the removal of the Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS).

Key provisions

  • Reduces the minimum housing capacity requirement by 32.5 per cent, from just over two million homes to approximately 1.4 million homes.
  • Establishes a clear process for how Auckland Council and the hearings panel responds to the change in the minimum housing capacity. requirement, including opportunities for public input on revised plan provisions.
  • Provides transitional provisions for property owners affected by removal of the MDRS in Auckland, ensuring people who relied on previous rules are not unfairly disadvantaged.
  • Exempts Auckland Council from requirements of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-US) to undertake a Housing and Business Assessment (HBA) and review its Future Development Strategy (FDS) or prepare a new FDS, to inform the 2027 Long-Term Plan.
  • Inserts provisions into Schedule 12 of the RMA, preserving the validity of both public submissions made on Plan Change 120 and the steps already taken as part of the plan change process.

Implementation

The Act came into force on 2 April 2026.

The changes to the RMA made by this Act will be implemented by Auckland Council.

Information on and updates about PC120 plan change process will be made available on the PC120 webpage of Auckland Council’s website.