Development Strategy progress

Monitoring report

This is the third monitoring report on the Auckland Plan 2050 Development Strategy. This report monitors building consents and code of compliance certificates issued for residential dwellings across Auckland. This reporting year covers the period 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021.

The findings show that in the two years since the Development Strategy was adopted, the pattern of growth and development activity is beginning to deliver a more quality compact city.

While growth has been widespread across Auckland's urban areas, development activity has increased the most in nodes and development areas, and growth in rural areas has been limited. Across the region, a large proportion of dwellings consented are more intensive housing including apartments and townhouses etc. particularly in nodes and development areas.

Auckland is changing; our city is now growing up instead of just out, the number and location of dwelling consents and completions in 2020/2021 broadly follows the implementation of the quality compact approach and the multi-nodal model in the Development Strategy. The vision of a quality, compact future Auckland is gradually becoming reality.

Key findings of the report

• 19,035 dwellings were consented in 2020/2021, an increase of 29 per cent from the previous year. 82 per cent of these dwellings were consented in the existing urban area.
• In the existing urban area, most growth (79 per cent) occurred through intensification [definition pattern] Development that allows for more people to connect, work and play within the existing urban boundary[/definition pattern].
• 21 per cent of development was in undeveloped areas, for example, Flat Bush.
• Apartments and townhouses etc. accounted for 62 per cent of all dwellings consented in 2020/2021 compared with 52 per cent in 2019/2020.
• Standalone houses accounted for 36 per cent of all dwellings consented in 2020/2021 compared with 45 per cent in 2019/2020
• 4,793 dwellings were consented within 1,500m catchments of train stations and the Northern Busway stations. This is 25 per cent of the total dwellings consented.
• 14,123 dwellings were issued with a Code of Compliance Certificate in 2020/2021.
• Just under 600,000 square metres of business floor space was consented in 2020/2021
• Most business floor space consented was in the light industry zoned areas.
• The Manukau node had the greatest amount of business floor space consented.  

As this is only the third monitoring report on a 30-year strategy, future monitoring and reporting will provide a more comprehensive understanding of ongoing trends and implementation of the Development Strategy.

Consented dwellings

An approved dwelling consent represents an intention to build, not a completed dwelling.

The Development Strategy anticipates that up to 320,000 additional residential dwellings could be required over the next 30 years. This equates to over 10,000 dwellings a year.

In the third year of implementing the Development Strategy, 19,035 residential dwellings were consented in Auckland, an increase of 4,259 on the previous reporting year. In the past five years, over 70,000 dwellings have been consented in the Auckland region.

Quality Compact approach

Auckland is taking a quality compact approach to growth and development. This means most growth will take place within the existing urban area; some growth will occur in identified future urban areas and growth in rural areas will be limited.

In 2020/2021, the location of dwellings consented across Auckland indicates most growth is taking place within the existing urban area with a majority happening in brownfields. Some growth is occurring in identified future urban areas, and there is limited growth in rural areas. This pattern has been largely consistent for the last four years.

​Local boards

The local board areas with the highest number of dwellings consented in 2020/2021 were Henderson-Massey, Howick, and Papakura.

Great Barrier and Waiheke local board areas had the lowest number of dwellings consented.

Dwelling typology

Dwellings consented for more intensive housing including apartments and townhouses etc. are increasing while the number of houses consented remains relatively stable.

The number of townhouses etc. consented in 2020/2021 has increased 299 per cent compared with 2016/2017. In the same period, the number of apartments has increased 42 per cent, and the number of houses has increased 34 per cent.

The proportion of each typology has also changed. The proportion of townhouses etc. has increased from 21 per cent of consents issued in 2016/2017 to 45 per cent in 2020/2021. In the same period, the proportion of houses has decreased from 50 per cent to 36 per cent of consents issued, and the proportion of apartments has decreased from 22 per cent to 16 per cent.

Dwellings Consented by dwelling type (Auckland Region), by reporting year (1 July - 30 June)

Consented dwelling map

The map shows that the consenting activity is widespread across the urban area. Apartment consents with more than 100 units are mostly located within the city centre.

There are also concentrations of apartments and townhouses located around areas with good public transport accessibility. In 2020/2021, 85 per cent of residential dwellings consented within 1,500m catchments of train stations and Northern Busway stations were apartments and townhouses.

Established communities such as Te Atatu Peninsula, Glenfield and Mt Roskill also show higher concentrations of more intensive housing typologies occurring through redevelopment.

Consents for houses are distributed across the urban areas with concentrations at the edge of the existing urban area in new and growing communities, such as Flat Bush and Papakura.

Get a copy of the consented dwelling map

Local boards consented by type

The dwelling types being consented vary considerably across all local boards reflecting their different characters.

For example, 97 per cent of dwellings consented in Waitemata local board area in the 2020/2021 year were more intensive housing types, including apartments and townhouses, compared with 22 percent in Franklin.

Dwellings consented by dwelling type, by local board, 1 July 2020 - 30 June 2021

Residential supply (Code of Compliance Certificates - CCCs)

What are CCCs?

A code compliance certificate (CCC) is issued for completed dwellings. A CCC is issued under section 95 of the Building Act 2004 and ensures building work carried out under an approved building consent complies with that building consent. Buildings are deemed suitable to occupy once a CCC has been issued.

There is no legal requirement to obtain a CCC, however, insurers, mortgage lenders and other parties are becoming stricter on those undertaking building work to ensure they obtain a CCC. This means CCCs are becoming a more reliable indicator of actual dwelling completions.

The time between a building consent being issued and a CCC being issued will vary depending on the scale and complexity of the building.

In the third year of implementing the Development Strategy, 14,123 dwellings were issued with a CCC.

This is an increase from the 10,778 dwellings issued with a CCC the previous reporting year.

CCCs issued by local board area

Papakura, Upper Harbour and Howick local boards had the highest numbers of CCC's issued in 2020/2021, with over 1,100 CCCs each. These were closely followed by Rodney, Maungakiekie – Tamaki, Hibiscus and Bays, and Henderson – Massey which had around 1,000 CCCs each.

Dwellings completed by local board area, 1 July 2020 - 30 June 2021  

​Growth and development

The Development Strategy identifies where significant growth and development is anticipated to occur over the next 30 years.

The quality compact approach and multi-nodal model forms the foundation for growth across Auckland.

Most growth is anticipated within the existing urban area, some growth occurs in future urban areas, and growth in rural areas is limited. The following sections report on the number of dwellings consented in the:

• Existing urban areas
• Nodes
• Development areas
• Remaining urban area
• Future urban areas
• Rural areas
• Business

Get a copy of the monitoring report