Urban Development News from the media | 16 September 2025 | Auckland’s Draft Planning Rules: Myths vs Facts

Auckland’s Draft Planning Rules: Myths vs Facts

The 2023 floods were a turning point for Auckland. They showed that not all land is safe for new homes, and stronger rules are needed to protect people and property.

The council’s current planning requirements – called Plan Change 78 – were a response to the previous government’s direction to allow more high-density and three-storey housing across the region. But the law behind Plan Change 78 prevented the council from strengthening rules to limit new homes in high-risk areas. Since the floods, the council has advocated strongly for that to change. 

Now, the government has given the council this opportunity. A replacement plan change to the Auckland Unitary Plan – the city’s planning rulebook - would allow stronger rules to be introduced to make homes more robust and limit new homes in areas at high-risk of floods, coastal erosion and inundation and focus homes in safer locations and near jobs, shop, services and rapid transport like trains. 

https://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/news/2025/09/auckland-s-draft-planning-rules-myths-vs-facts/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Amazon reportedly halts plan for Auckland data centre citing energy economics 

Reported industry commentary indicates Amazon has stepped back from building a self-owned data centre in Auckland, citing grid constraints and power pricing, although cloud services continue via other channels. The story highlights how electricity availability, costs and consenting complexity now materially influence large industrial/commercial land plays. Local suppliers and councils are revisiting industrial precinct plans and energy upgrade sequencing as large users reassess location strategies. For data-centre developers, secure long-term power and favourable tariff structures are now a gating constraint.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/571948/amazon-and-the-case-of-the-missing-new-zealand-data-centres

OneRoof: Auckland house values hit multi-year lows; regional divergence continues

OneRoof’s latest index (end-Aug/early Sep reporting) shows Auckland’s average property value fell again (quarterly falls ~2.8% referenced in recent reporting), with some suburbs dropping sharply and more suburbs returning below $1m. The report underscores widening regional divergence: some provincial markets show resilience while core city values remain under pressure. OneRoof flags that lower nominal prices may improve affordability in pockets, but lending and labour market weakness still cap broad demand. For sellers and developers, pricing and absorption assumptions must be more localised than national averages.

https://www.oneroof.co.nz/news/oneroof-house-price-report-september-2025-48104?utm_source=chatgpt.com

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