Jul 9, 2026 · 1 hr 2 min · 15 segments
Auckland is the world’s most well-studied example of upzoning and planning reform. It’s *the* landmark story of how loosening restrictions enables more homes to be built—and yet the history of *how*…
Stuart DonovanGuestJonathan O'BrienHostIn 2010, to overcome fragmented governance in New Zealand's largest city, the central government sort of forcibly merged eight local councils, seven municipal ones and one regional, into Auckland Council.
The central government sort of tasked that new entity then with coming up with a single Auckland Unitary Plan, which we'll call the AUP.
In March of 2013, the draft AUP was delivered and it proposed significant broad upzoning.
Then in September of that same year, so six months later, following a period of sort of public scrutiny, the proposed AUP, different from the draft AUP, was delivered with substantially less upzoning, particularly in central and wealthier areas of the city, such as places like Isthmus and Howick.
The AUP then got referred to an independent hearings panel, which we'll talk about what that is.
At one point during this process, the council submitted to the panel saying actually they'd like to do even less than the proposed upzoning.
And then in July of 2016, the IHP delivered recommendations and recommended way more upzoning than the proposed AUP.
For two months, there was back and forth, and eventually the AUP was implemented in August of 2016 with about twice as much feasible capacity as was initially kind of taken to the IHP.
In 2010, to overcome fragmented governance in New Zealand's largest city, the central government sort of forcibly merged eight local councils, seven municipal ones and one regional, into Auckland Council.
The central government sort of tasked that new entity then with coming up with a single Auckland Unitary Plan, which we'll call the AUP.
In March of 2013, the draft AUP was delivered and it proposed significant broad upzoning.
Then in September of that same year, so six months later, following a period of sort of public scrutiny, the proposed AUP, different from the draft AUP, was delivered with substantially less upzoning, particularly in central and wealthier areas of the city, such as places like Isthmus and Howick.
The AUP then got referred to an independent hearings panel, which we'll talk about what that is.
At one point during this process, the council submitted to the panel saying actually they'd like to do even less than the proposed upzoning.
And then in July of 2016, the IHP delivered recommendations and recommended way more upzoning than the proposed AUP.
For two months, there was back and forth, and eventually the AUP was implemented in August of 2016 with about twice as much feasible capacity as was initially kind of taken to the IHP.
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