Auckland Council toughens up on building in flood risk areas
From Monday 3 November 2025, stronger planning rules take effect in Auckland to better protect people and property from natural hazards.
The change is part of Auckland Council’s Plan Change 120 – a proposed update to the region’s planning rulebook, that focuses more housing near public transport hubs, jobs, services and town centres, while strengthening rules where there are hazards like flooding and landslides, to help build more resilient neighbourhoods.
Megan Tyler, director of policy, planning and governance at Auckland Council, says Plan Change 120 allows Auckland to take a stronger step forward so future development can better handle increasingly severe weather.
“Development in flood-risk areas is a challenge we’ve been working to overcome since the floods of 2023.
“Along with Auckland’s communities, the council has carried out a great deal of advocacy to get tighter rules, and Plan Change 120 allows us to bring these in quickly, to better protect communities as soon as possible,” she says.
Under the Resource Management Act, any rules relating to natural hazards must take effect as soon as a plan change is notified.
Through this change, stricter checks and higher standards for building, developing or renovating will be required in hazard-risk areas. Resource consent applications will face tougher risk assessments, and you’ll need clear evidence that your build can withstand the impacts of more extreme weather.
Development potential is proposed to be scaled back in the worst-affected areas to better protect people and property.
John Duguid, Auckland Council’s general manager of planning and resource consents, says under the proposed changes, any development in a hazard area must go through a stricter risk assessment than previously.
“Locations across Auckland can be affected by flooding, coastal erosion and other hazards – particularly in valleys, and around the coast.
“The stronger hazard rules will apply regardless of whether the zone allows apartments, terraced houses, high rise buildings or single homes,” he says.
What changes on 3 November 2025?
From 3 November 2025, Plan Change 120 will see:
- ‘non-complying’ activity status used to assess consents for development in high-risk areas, giving the council the strongest ability to determine whether development can go ahead.
- tighter risk assessments for development in locations impacted by natural hazards in any zone, raising the bar that must be met for an activity to be approved.
- ‘downzoning’ to single house zone in the worst-affected areas, such as parts of Henderson, Milford and Māngere, to limit density and exposure.
- updated mapping so Aucklanders have an up-to-date view of the natural hazards that could impact their area.
- natural systems protected so floodplains and overland flow paths are protected from being built over.
While these changes apply from 3 November 2025, they may be updated following the public submissions process.
What does this mean for me?
From 3 November 2025, you can use the Plan Change 120 map viewer to see what the changes mean for your home. You can learn more about this at akhaveyoursay.nz from 3 November 2025.
You can already use the ‘natural hazards’ theme in the council’s Geomaps page to see how different natural hazards could impact your area.
If you have a resource consent application lodged with the council before 3 November 2025, its activity status will remain the same as when it was lodged. However, those resource consent applications will be evaluated against the operative Auckland Unitary Plan and the relevant provisions of Plan Change 120 including the natural hazard provisions.
Time to have your say
Stronger hazard rules apply from Monday 3 November 2025, when Plan Change 120 is notified. However, they are subject to change following the public submission process.
You can have your say on these rules, and all proposals under Plan Change 120.
