NZ Government to Axe Top-Down Mandate on Housing

Published on January 9, 2024

Planning laws brought in by the previous New Zealand government aimed at boosting urban density to address the country’s housing shortage are headed for the chopping block, said the ACT Party. The Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS) (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021 requires local councils to provide housing with a maximum density standard of three houses per residential site with a maximum height of 11 metres, or three stories. Rapidly accelerating housing supply in areas where the demand is high also led to a national government decision to bypass local council plans to allow a wider variety of homes to be built. The new standards aimed to ease planning rules for what can be built without resource consent....

Continue reading on website
Other news

Secret Service Says Vehicle Crashed Into White House Gate, Driver in Custody

January 9, 2024
A vehicle collided with an exterior gate of the White House complex shortly before 6 p.m., according to the Secret Service.The driver has been taken into custody, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause and manner of the collision, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.“Shortly before 6 p.m., a vehicle collided with an exterior gate on

Victorian Leader to Appeal Federal Labor Decision to Axe Offshore Wind Farm Project

January 9, 2024
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the federal Labor government’s decision to veto Australia’s first offshore wind farm.It comes as the state aggressively speeds up its transition to net zero following the introduction of the state’s climate change strategy in 2022.On Jan. 8, federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek rejected a proposal to build offshore w