This week Auckland Council voted to endorse draft Plan Change 120 - Housing Intensification & Resilience and send it out for public consultation. So what does it mean for you?

The key objectives of PC120 are:

• To manage significant risks from natural hazards better. Severe weather events in 2023 highlighted risks of flooding and coastal hazards in some areas.; and
• To manage housing capacity at least to the same amount as under PC78, but adding additional intensification along selected Frequent Transit corridors and modifying zoning in suburban areas through an amended pattern of Residential – Mixed Housing Urban and Mixed Housing Suburban zones.

If you’re planning a development, it’s important to factor in these potential shifts.
 
Our Auckland based Resource Consenting and Land Development Team are making sure they have an in-depth understanding of the implications of the proposed changes and can help you with expert advice, we are always only a call or email away.

Inovo is proud to undertake the annual comprehensive Toitū audit to measure and take action to reduce our net carbon emissions.

We are delighted to confirm that we have successfully completed our third year of Toitū carbonreduce certification. The total emissions this year were 124.88 tCO²e, which is 10% lower than last year’s total of 138.31 tCO²e and 18% lower than the base year total of 152.47 tCO²e. A reduction in emissions intensity of 1.88 tCO²e/$M has been achieved (based upon a 3 year rolling average).

We have put systems and processes in place reduce our carbon emissions, ensuring that we are continually improving our performance and actively thinking about the wider repercussions of the decisions we make, both as individuals and as a collective.

We've just published our 2025 Sustainability & Impact Report, which explores our progress across Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles. We know that aligning ourselves with these guiding principles will make Inovo more resilient, future-proof our business and set us up for long term success. And you can find out more about Our Sustainability Commitment here.

Yesterday, Christchurch City Council confirmed the rezoning of substantial areas of Christchurch to enable greater residential intensification. For people who own property, or are looking to purchase property, this rezoning will have a significant impact on the development permitted on their land or the land around them.

At its meeting, the Council approved the Independent Hearing Panel (IHP) recommendations which will provide more medium-density housing zoning around the intensification areas already enabled as part of the Council’s December 2024 decisions on Plan Change 14, including the city centre, Church Corner, Riccarton, Hornby, Linwood, Shirley, Merivale, Edgeware, and Papanui.

Council also agreed to seek approval from Minister Chris Bishop to withdraw the remaining parts of Plan Change 14 – related to applying national Medium-Density Residential Standards (MDRS) – ahead of the Government’s 12 December deadline. Under MDRS, up to three dwellings of up to three storeys can be developed on a property, without needing to apply for a resource consent, if all other rules have been met. In total, Council is required to enable some 65,600 commercially viable houses in Christchurch to meet 30 years of expected “high growth” demand, as projected by Statistics New Zealand (including a further 20 per cent added to the high-growth demand as a buffer).

The decisions will now take immediate effect under the Resource Management Act. Once public notice is issued (expected soon - but no later than 19 September 2025) these changes will become fully operative in the District Plan. The Council will publish an interactive map on its Plan Change 14 webpage, to reflect yesterday’s decision.

If you’re wondering how these changes affect your site, development plans, or resource consent strategy, we’re here to help. We’re tracking updates closely and can assist with interpreting the new zoning provisions, assessing development potential, or navigating next steps.
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Inovo's Consent Planning Services

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