Massive liberalisation of planning rules to end housing woes

House zoning targets will be set for councils; urban-rural limits will be scrapped; mixed use zoning will be encouraged; minimum floor sizes and balcony requirements for apartments will be abolished, and the government will more tightly define high density transport corridors eligible for development.

This comes in the wake of Bishop calling for average house prices to drop, even if it scares existing homeowners.

“We need change. After inflation, house prices have increased by more than any other OECD  country in the past 30 years. Between 2000 and 2021, inflation adjusted  house prices rose 256% in New Zealand.”

The slew of changes to New Zealand’s planning laws have recently been agreed by cabinet.