The first round of public consultation for Auckland’s plan to increase density, Plan Change 120, was held in November and December 2025. Now the prime minister is reportedly making a “captain’s call” to water it down.

Plan Change 120 would make it legal for two million new residences to be built in New Zealand’s biggest city, but that doesn’t mean they actually would be. As The Spinoff notes, “Not every section in Auckland will be redeveloped or built to its maximum legal capacity.”

Regardless, that two million number has ruffled feathers and seems set to be reduced.

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