25/08/2025
📣 Major Intensification Changes Proposed – Have Your Say!
Urgent: submit by or attend the Howick Local Board Meeting on Thursday 28 August.
Auckland Council is pushing through big changes to the Auckland Unitary Plan (AUP) that could see major intensification in our area without the necessary infrastructure to support it.
I’ve shared maps that show:
Map 1: Current Auckland Unitary Plan
Map 2: Plan Change 78 (paused)
Map 3: The new “Replacement Plan Change” (draft)
⚠️ Under this new version (Map 3), large parts of our area – including Bucklands Beach, Sandspit Road, Meadowlands and more – are proposed for Mixed Housing Urban or even Terraced Housing & Apartments zoning. That means 6, 10, or even 15 storey buildings could appear in inappropriate suburban areas, without transport links, wastewater solutions, or proper community consultation.
👉 The Howick Local Board has agreed to take community input at our meeting Thursday 28 August. This is the only opportunity to have your voice heard before Council formally notifies the plan. If you or your group want to speak, please register at:
[email protected]
✍️ Please also send written feedback so we can present your views strongly on Thursday. [email protected]
🚨 My Concerns & questions I have been asking
Transparency & Consultation
Why is this “reset” of PC78 being pushed through without proper public consultation?
Why can’t we pause, consult, and co-develop a transparent plan shaped with community input?
Heights & Intensification
Where are the controls to stop 10–15 storey buildings in suburban areas?
Why intensify in areas far from frequent transport or walkable catchments and less visited retail areas (ie// not destination malls only)?
Infrastructure & Wastewater
Does the wastewater “qualifying matter” still apply in places like Cockle Bay?
What prevents another disaster like Whitford Manor’s sewage crisis if restrictions are lifted (tankering concept)?
Floodplains & Coastal Areas
How will these rules protect coastal suburbs from flooding, erosion, and sea-level rise?
Transport & Access
Intensification should follow frequent public transport – what timetable data actually supports this zoning?
Where is the commitment to transport investment to match growth?
Residential Standards & Liveability
Why are single house and mixed suburban zones being stripped away?
What guarantees exist for liveability (sunlight, design, open space, separation)?
Numbers & Targets
Council documents reference a 2 million dwelling “target” – but over what timeframe (Many is not an answer)?
Why is success being measured in numbers, not community & health outcomes?
Final Challenge
Why should our community accept a “reset” that reduces transparency, ignores hazards and infrastructure limits, and drives radical intensification where it doesn’t make sense?
📢 Your voice matters.
Please send feedback or register to speak before Thursday 28 August. Together, we can make sure growth is balanced with infrastructure, liveability, and protecting the character of our suburbs.
