Twelve more Special Housing Areas (SHAs) have been approved in Auckland, Tauranga City and the Western Bay of Plenty District, bringing the total to 100 since the Housing Accords legislation was passed 16 months ago, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith announced today.

“These 12 new Special Housing Areas will enable 2000 additional homes to be fast-tracked and will help address the supply and affordability issues in Auckland and the Bay of Plenty. These additional SHAs bring the nationwide total to 100, with a capacity for 47,000 homes,” Dr Smith says.

The Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Act 2013 allows for districts with significant housing issues to be scheduled, accords to be agreed, and gives the Government and the local councils tools such as the creation of Special Housing Areas to address these issues. To date, the Government has agreed Housing Accords with local councils in Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Tauranga, the Western Bay of Plenty and Queenstown-Lakes.

The 12 SHAs announced today – four in Auckland, seven in Tauranga and one in Western Bay of Plenty – are:

• Point View Drive, East Tāmaki; 50 homes, 6.3 hectares (Auckland)

• Beach Haven Road, Beach Haven; 9 homes, 0.18 hectares (Auckland)

• Mt Eden Road and Haul Road, Three Kings; 70 homes, 1.4 hectares (Auckland)

• Restall Road, Woodhill; 16 homes, 24.3 hectares (Auckland)

• Golden Sands; 380 homes, 29.5 hectares (Tauranga)

• Palm Springs; 600 homes, 63 hectares (Tauranga)

• Nga Potiki; 210 homes, 20.7 hectares (Tauranga)

• Papamoa Junction; 80 homes, 8.4 hectares (Tauranga)

• Te Okuroa  Drive/Parton Road; 180 homes, 16.2 hectares (Tauranga)

• Waihi Road; 31 homes, 0.8 hectares (Tauranga)

• Zariba; 250 homes, 18.4 hectares (Tauranga)

• Omokoroa Road; 165 homes, 19.7 hectares (Western Bay of Plenty)

“I commend the work of the Auckland, Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty councils in progressing these Special Housing Areas and supporting the efforts of the Government to address housing issues in their communities,” Dr Smith says.

“There is still a power of work ahead to turn Special Housing Areas into homes that families can live in. The subdivisions and houses will need to be designed, consented and built – but the land zoning process which otherwise would have taken an average of three years is now being completed in a matter of weeks.

“It also means the process of subdivision and resource consents is reduced from an average of 18 months to a maximum of six months.

“The momentum we are achieving in housing is reflected in the latest building consent figures, which show a doubling in consenting activity from 1000 homes per month when National became Government in 2008, to the current 2000 per month. It also showed $14.6 billion of building investment in 2014 – the highest ever.

“These 100 Special Housing Areas are just part of our plan to address New Zealand’s housing supply and affordability challenge. We are cutting building and compliance costs, reining in development contributions and investing in skills and productivity in the construction sector. Our new KiwiSaver HomeStart scheme, aimed at helping 90,000 people into their own home, will come into effect on 1 April.

“We are also tackling the long-term issues affecting housing affordability and supply with our planned second phase of Resource Management Act reforms,” Dr Smith concluded.