Planning – Dr Oliver Hartwich

Town planners will finally have to answer for land prices

03/09/2026

New Zealand’s recent planning law represents a significant shift, introducing an independent watchdog to monitor land prices and ensuring housing affordability, supported by a rare cross-party consensus for lasting impact.

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As they stand, no

31/07/2026

The RMA replacement Bills require further refinement despite containing some improvements. While they aim to streamline planning and reduce council blockages, essential protections for property rights and housing affordability may need to be added before the final vote.

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New law, old mistakes

13/02/2026

The Resource Management Act 1991 has driven up housing prices and failed environmentally, prompting the New Zealand Government’s plans for new legislative reforms. However, key protections and definitions remain inadequate in proposed bills.

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Ditching the socialist housing dream

28/04/2025

Reflecting on twenty years in think tanks, and how post-war British planning ideologies, rooted in collectivism, still affect housing markets and policy despite economic liberalization attempts.

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aerial shot of city houses and buildings

RMA reform finally puts growth first

28/03/2025

The New Zealand Government’s new planning reforms aim to reduce bureaucratic hurdles, enhance property rights, and promote economic growth through simplified regulations and standardised national zones.

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high angle shot of suburban neighborhood

Bishop’s pledge to end the housing shortage

01/03/2024

The housing minister’s plan to address the housing crisis includes increasing land availability, incentivising councils, and setting a target for affordable housing.

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Caution needed on value capture

04/05/2018

As tempting it may appear to tap into land value uplifts, we need to be cautious. The model can work – but we need to apply it only in the cases where it can work.

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Planning rules the cause of housing crisis

29/11/2015

Three modest proposals for restoring housing affordability.

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First principles on planning

06/11/2015

The Productivity Commission should welcome Minister English’s invitation to look at the first principles of planning. It should ask the most basic question: What, if any, planning system does a country like New Zealand really need?

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How to build rational building expectations?

20/04/2015

The best we can do about Auckland’s housing shortage apart from building more houses is to establish a rational expectation that houses will be built in the future.

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