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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. 

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.

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.

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 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 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.

The Government has today signed an agreement with Marutūāhu Rōpū and Ockham Residential Limited for a 100-home development in New North Road, Mt Albert, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“This development, with an average house price of $573,000 and only 8km from Auckland’s city centre, is a welcome addition to the Government’s Crown Land Housing Programme.

Earthworks are set to begin on the 196-home Massey East project as part of the Crown Land Housing Programme, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“Today’s blessing of the site by Fletcher Residential’s partner, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, and the turning of the first sod pave the way for earthworks to start in early November,” Dr Smith says.

Parliament has today passed improved laws to better protect children from drowning in swimming pools while also making the requirements more practical and enforceable, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“The law change in 1987 requiring swimming pools to be fenced reduced the accidental drowning of children from more than 100 per decade to about 20 per decade. The measures in the Building (Pools) Amendment Bill take effect on 1 January 2017 and are expected to save an additional six young children’s lives per decade.

The Government is considering changes to the Residential Tenancy Act over when property damage costs can be reclaimed from tenants, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“This review has been prompted by recent court decisions and Tenancy Tribunal rulings, which have sparked confusion over how the Residential Tenancy Act (1986) and the Property Law Act (2007) interact. This is resulting in uncertainty for landlords and tenants, and is affecting the effective functioning of the Tenancy Tribunal.

The number of New Zealanders accessing their KiwiSaver funds and the HomeStart grant scheme has more than doubled, with the funds for home deposits topping $500 million in the scheme’s first year, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

Improvements to the Code of Practice for Retirement Villages will better support residents’ rights and resolution of complaints, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“There is huge growth in retirement villages as the population ages and seniors look for housing options that better meet their unique needs. These changes to the Code of Practice are about ensuring residents rights are respected and that complaints are dealt with fairly and quickly.”

Councils can now submit indicative proposals for the Government’s $1 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

“The fund, announced in July, gives councils the ability to bring forward infrastructure projects important to increasing housing supply, whether in new greenfield urban areas or in the redevelopment of existing urban areas,” Dr Smith says. 

Three Housing Accords are being extended to ensure continued access to the streamlined consenting process provided for in legislation, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

Parliament last week passed the Housing Legislation Amendment Act 2016, which ensures a smooth transition to the new Auckland Unitary Plan and enables the streamlined planning process for new housing to continue to be used in other areas for a further three years.

The Government will redevelop 300 existing Housing New Zealand (HNZ) properties into about 1200 new homes in Northcote, Ministers Bill English and Dr Nick Smith have announced.

The Minister Responsible for Housing New Zealand, Bill English, says the $750 million project will transform the existing 300 properties into about 1200 warmer, drier and healthier homes with a better mix of size and type.

“The number of HNZ homes will increase from 300 to 400 and a further 600-800 properties will be sold as a mix of affordable and market housing.”

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman and Building and Housing Minister Nick Smith say 13.1 hectares of vacant land at Counties Manukau is being freed up for housing.

“The Government has approved an application by Counties Manukau DHB to release vacant land at the Manukau SuperClinic Browns Road site,” says Dr Coleman.

“It makes sense for DHBs to sell land they don’t need for future use as it allows them to reinvest the proceeds into new or upgraded health facilities.

Parliament has today passed housing legislation which will ensure house building momentum continues in Auckland and enable the Special Housing Area (SHA) process to be used in other areas for a further three years, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

The Government is extending the special housing legislation to ensure a smooth transition to the new Auckland Unitary Plan and to enable the streamlined planning process for new housing to continue to be used in other areas for a further three years, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith says.

Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith today released for consultation regulations approved by Cabinet on Monday for the new earthquake-prone building legislation.

“New Zealand is a seismically active country and we need to progressively upgrade our older building stock to reduce the risk to New Zealanders’ safety,” Dr Smith said in announcing the consultation at the Consulting Engineers New Zealand annual awards in Auckland.