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Four new Special Housing Areas (SHAs) approved by the Government under the Queenstown-Lakes Housing Accord will enable much needed housing for the district, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“These four new SHAs fast-track the zoning of 40 hectares of land to residential and provide the potential for 490 homes. This additional capacity is essential for Queenstown’s thriving tourism industry, which needs more housing for its growing workforce,” Dr Smith says.

Building activity in Auckland has topped an all-time high of $6 billion per year, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and Auckland Mayor Len Brown said today in releasing the latest Auckland Housing Accord monitoring report.

A 196-home development on surplus Crown land in Massey East with Fletcher Residential has been signed today by Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith.

“This agreement will enable this 9.2 hectare block of former Ministry of Education land in Moire Road to be developed into a mix of 196 detached, terraced and duplex homes. A 30 per cent portion, or 59 homes, will be made available for social housing.

A $300 million, 600-home development on 40 hectares of Riccarton Racecourse land can proceed following today’s passage of special legislation through its third reading, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“Increasing supply is the most important component of the Government’s programme to address New Zealand’s housing issues. We need to take every opportunity to facilitate new housing, particularly those developments that offer more affordable housing close to our city centres.

The Government’s proposed National Policy Statement on Urban Development Capacity will require councils to ensure land supply for housing and business keeps pace with growth, Environment, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

The Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill passed unanimously by Parliament today requiring smoke alarms and insulation in rental properties will save 1000 lives during the next decade, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“This important bill will make homes warmer, drier and safer for tens of thousands of tenants without imposing unreasonable costs. It will also help housing supply by enabling quicker turnaround of abandoned tenancies and enable the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to enforce housing standards against slum landlords.

Building activity has hit an 11-year high, with consents issued for more than 28,000 new dwellings in the year to April, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

Statistics New Zealand data released today shows 28,038 consents were issued, up 12 per cent from 25,068 in the previous year and more than double the 13,236 five years ago.

A report on reform of the Unit Titles Act by a group of professionals involved with bodies corporate has been welcomed by Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith.

“This is a thoughtful report and proposes changes to make our property law around higher density housing work better. It is particularly important as apartments and townhouses become a more popular choice and an increasing share of the housing market in cities such as Auckland.

Housing development on surplus Crown land in Auckland is receiving a $100 million boost in Budget 2016, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“This capital funding will add momentum to the programme of using public land for increasing the supply of housing. The programme’s goal is to increase the pace of housing development and to put a greater focus on bringing more affordable housing to the market.

The Government’s building programme remains on track and there will be a smooth transition from Special Housing Areas (SHAs) to Auckland’s Unitary Plan, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“There has been concern from some developers in SHAs that the fast-track processes for plan variations will not be available after 16 September, and there are calls for a legislative extension.

Changes to New Zealand’s tenancy laws requiring all tenanted properties to have smoke alarms and to be insulated passed unanimously through the committee stages of Parliament today.

Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith said the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill will require all rental properties to have smoke alarms by 1 July 2016 and be insulated by 1 July 2019.

Negotiations have concluded on three sites in Auckland, paving the way for the development of an estimated 740 new homes, Building and Housing Minister Nick Smith announced today.

The agreements are part of a programme announced in last year’s Budget which aims to free up surplus Crown land to boost the supply of houses in Auckland.

“The successful conclusions of negotiations on purchasing these three sites, with a capacity for 740 homes, is a significant step forward for the programme,” Dr Smith says.

The new position by the Labour opposition calling for an abolition of city limits has been welcomed by Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith.

“This is a welcome repositioning by Labour. Tight city limits and not allowing intensification is at the core of Auckland’s housing problems. It is limiting new housing developments, driving up section and house prices and encouraging land banking.

Progress is being made in tackling Queenstown’s housing shortage, with the second monitoring report showing the local council has more than met its first-year consents target, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

Dr Smith and Queenstown Mayor Vanessa van Uden today released the second Queenstown-Lakes District Housing Accord monitoring report, which showed 557 dwelling and section consents were issued between October 2014 and September 2015 – 60 percent more than the target of 350.

Five Government-owned units used to house people after the Christchurch earthquakes will be sold to a Franz Josef hotel severely damaged by flooding in March, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today.

The Canterbury Earthquake Temporary Accommodation units from Kaiapoi Domain will be used to house hotel staff and temporary workers currently occupying hotel bedrooms at Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier.

A Government Bill to make homes warmer, drier and safer for New Zealanders who live in rental properties has passed its second reading in Parliament by 107 to 14.

“This Bill requires all rental properties to have smoke alarms by 1 July 2016 and insulation by 1 July 2019 as well as new powers for enforcing existing housing standards will make tens of thousands of homes warmer, dryer, safer,” Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.        

A Bill passed by Parliament today by 120 to 1 requiring the upgrade of older buildings will save hundreds of lives in future earthquakes, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“New Zealand is one of the most seismically active countries in the world and we need to progressively upgrade our older buildings to reduce the risks. The new law targets the areas and buildings that pose the greatest risk and it is estimated it will reduce fatalities by 330 and serious injuries by 360 over the next 100 years,” Dr Smith said.

Labour’s so-called Healthy Homes Bill is lacking in detail, slow in timing and unworkable in practise, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“The surprising flaw in Mr Little’s Bill is that it has a timetable four years slower for insulating rental properties than the Government’s Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill. Mr Little’s Bill provides for 12 months before it comes into effect, six months for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to develop an insulating standard and then five years for compliance.

Building is at a record high, with consents of $13.6 billion of residential and commercial work across New Zealand for the year to 31 March 2016, the largest investment ever in both nominal and real terms, new building consent data out today shows.

Changes to KiwiSaver withdrawal rules for buying a home will make it easier for second-chance homeowners, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

Dr Smith today released the first full year results of the HomeStart scheme, which showed it has helped 11,943 people into their first home with grants of $55.6 million; about double the number and value taken up under the more narrow previous scheme the year before.

The Government has welcomed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed today between Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, the Hobsonville Land Company and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for housing developments in north-west Auckland (MBIE), Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith said today.

Regulations detailing new insulation and smoke alarm requirements to implement changes to the Residential Tenancies Act were approved by Cabinet yesterday, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith has announced.

An investigation by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment into the collapse of a Castle Street balcony during a music concert on 4 March 2016, which resulted in injury to several students, has found the primary cause was overloading, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith said today in releasing the report.

The supply of new sections and houses under the Auckland Housing Accord is continuing to grow, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and Mayor Len Brown said today in releasing the latest monitoring report and the tenth tranche of Special Housing Areas (SHAs).