Collins is proposing a law change that would give the Government power to rezone council land, making room for 30 years worth of growth in housing supply, both through intensification - or focusing on compact urban growth - and building on land that has never been used, referred to as greenfield development. The appeals process would be suspended so district plans could be completed as quickly as possible, Collins said. Requirements for infrastructure to be built prior to zoning would also be suspended.
She said it would be a nationwide equivalent of the emergency powers put in place to get houses built in Christchurch following the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes.
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For those, however, the city appears to have the right person to set about finding them. Hodgetts has worked on big, complex projects, including London’s Channel Tunnel rail link, where the then young Kiwi helped plan tunnelling under East London, and the liaison with a nervous community. During 14 years in Melbourne he was at the heart of efforts to fix its housing crisis. “Housing affordability was a real pressing issue,” he said. “It was similar to the situation here, with concerns about affordability, about the income of families and ability to service debt.” And in his previous role, as head of strategy at New Plymouth District Council, Hodgetts brought together disparate public, private and iwi groups to create a regional economic strategy.