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The Hamilton City Council is to gain access to fast-track powers to zone new areas for residential development under an Accord with the Government, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today during a visit with new Mayor Andrew King.

The Government is proposing reforms to better protect people buying and owning property under the Unit Titles Act, Building and Construction Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“We need better property laws to support the change in our cities, where more people are living and investing in townhouses and apartments. The number of households in unit titles is already 145,000, with a value of more than $50 billion. This number is expected to double by 2040.

New Zealand is into its fifth straight year of strong growth in construction, with more than 30,000 homes consented in the year to October and record levels of commercial and infrastructure investment, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

Legislation changing the designation of part of Auckland’s Point England Reserve so houses can be built has passed its first reading in Parliament, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

The Point England Development Enabling Bill allows for housing development on 11.7 hectares of the 48 hectare Point England Reserve in Tāmaki, east Auckland. Ngāti Paoa will have the right to develop the land for housing, in conjunction with the Tamaki Redevelopment Company.

Formal proposals are being requested from three responders to carry out New Zealand’s largest housing redevelopment project, Ministers Bill English and Dr Nick Smith say.

Ngāti Paoa Consortium, Tūhono Tāmaki Consortium and Exemplar Communities Consortium have been invited to submit proposals for the first phase of the Tāmaki Regeneration project, redeveloping around 1,000 existing social houses into 2,500 social, affordable and market houses. 

The release of a proposed new spatial plan for the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park has been welcomed by Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith, Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Conservation Minister Maggie Barry.

The Sea Change/Tai Timu Tai Pari marine spatial plan, designed to secure a healthy, productive and sustainable future for the Hauraki Gulf, is the result of three years’ work by the Sea Change group, representing mana whenua, councils, local conservationists, businesses, recreational fishers and the Government.

A new 300-home development on part of the Point England Reserve has been announced today by Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith, with the Tamaki Redevelopment Company and Ngāti Paoa.

“The greatest constraint to resolving Auckland’s housing challenges is finding suitable land, particularly in close proximity to the central city. The Point England Reserve has been poorly used for decades, with 18 hectares of it used for grazing cows.

Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today visited Kaikoura with local MP Stuart Smith to assess the environmental, building and housing impacts of the quake, during which he announced $500,000 for a Temporary Accommodation Service for displaced people.

Land suitable for 60 apartments on the Te Atatu Peninsula is the latest addition to the Crown Land Programme, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has signed an agreement to acquire the 0.53 hectare site in Titoki Street from the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for the programme. NZTA originally acquired the site on behalf of the Crown to enable the upgrade of the neighbourhood Te Atatu Interchange on the north-western motorway, and this project has now been completed,” Dr Smith says.

Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith leaves today for Sydney to attend the annual meeting of Australasian Environment Ministers, with Ministers from each State, Territory and New Zealand.

“This is the first opportunity to engage with new Australia Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg since the July Federal election. The New Zealand and Australian economies are so integrated that we need to maximise the alignment of our environmental regulation,” Dr Smith says.

Changes to the National Environmental Standard (NES) for Telecommunications Facilities will make it quicker and easier for New Zealanders to get connected to new and better communications technologies.

Communications Minister Amy Adams and Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith today announced the new NES for Telecommunications Facilities, under the Resource Management Act (RMA).

Advice to the building industry on restraining ceilings, ducting and other non-structural elements will improve the safety and resilience of commercial buildings during earthquakes, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) today released two practice advisories to the building sector on non-structural elements and secondary structural elements in commercial buildings.

Sharp Corporation’s efforts to responsibly manage the environmental effects of its products have been recognised with accreditation to the Product Stewardship Scheme, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“Sharp aims to be recycling 100 per cent of all packaging materials, electrical and electronic products and equipment, and obsolete and used parts by April 2018,” Dr Smith says.

A new social housing complex of 120 apartments is to be built on surplus Crown land and an adjoining Housing New Zealand site in Auckland in partnership with local iwi, Ministers Paula Bennett and Nick Smith have announced.

Housing New Zealand (HNZ) and development partners Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki and Gemscott Resources Limited have signed a heads of agreement to develop the 12,010sq m site on Great North Rd in Waterview into one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. All the homes will be retained by HNZ for social housing.

A technical investigation into the performance of buildings such as Statistics House at CentrePort will be undertaken to help inform improved building regulation, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“This week’s significant earthquakes have tested the seismic strength of many of Wellington’s multi-storey buildings. This investigation will focus on Statistics House to understand its performance and where there may be wider lessons for improved design,” Dr Smith says.

The families of the Pike River victims and Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith met in Greymouth tonight to discuss work on decommissioning the mine and progressing the memorial track through Paparoa National Park.

“This is an emotional time for families, given Saturday’s sixth anniversary of the tragedy which claimed the lives of 29 men. That’s why Solid Energy agreed to defer work on decommissioning the mine this week,” Dr Smith says.

Work on decommissioning the Pike River Mine will be deferred this week in the run up to the sixth anniversary of the disaster, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith said today.

An agreement on policy issues in the Resource Legislation Amendment Bill has been reached between National and the Māori Party, which will enable the Bill to pass its second and third readings, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

A creek that feeds into the Waimea Estuary is to be cleaned up thanks to a Government grant, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

The $67,000 Community Environment Fund grant will be used to restore the water quality of Neimann Creek in Appleby, which runs adjacent to the Waimea River.

It is one of two small, spring-fed creeks which enter the estuary either side of the Waimea River and is home to native wildlife and fish, including high populations of inanga and eels. The quality is affected by high nitrate levels and sedimentation.  

People using fireworks this Guy Fawkes’ weekend need to take care, follow instructions and keep them a safe distance from pets and livestock, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“I encourage people to enjoy fireworks but also to take care. The golden rules are follow the instructions on the packaging, keep them a safe distance from pets and livestock, and avoid areas of fire risk,” says Dr Smith, who is the Minister responsible for fireworks regulation under the hazardous substances law.

The Government has made changes to testing requirements to ensure all steel mesh being sold in New Zealand is up to standard, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“We’re increasing the number of samples which need to be tested, clarifying how that testing is done and requiring testing be done by internationally accredited testing laboratories,” Dr Smith says.

The Government has signed off on a National Policy to ensure councils in rapidly growing urban areas provide enough land for new housing and business development, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

The 85 hectare, 1350 home “Auranga” greenfield development at Drury has been launched today by Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith.

“The beginning of earthworks on this development further confirms the momentum and scale of residential investment under way in Auckland. This development has progressed from concept to rezoning and consenting faster than any scale housing project in New Zealand history and has been made possible by the Special Housing Areas (SHA) process,” Dr Smith says.

Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith has welcomed a report released today on the challenges facing our marine environment, jointly published by the Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand.