To any NIMBY worth their salt the Government’s new Going for Housing Growth programme (GfHG) must be a nightmare, but it’s an absolute dream for YIMBYs like us.
Much more than a ‘planning tweak’, it’s a tectonic shift that will remove zoning barriers and height limits. The playbook has well and truly changed. Here’s our take on what it means, why it matters, and how to position your project for what comes next.
The zoning famine is over
Under GfHG, councils are no longer allowed to zone just enough land for growth – they must now plan for 30 years of real, feasible housing supply, with a 20% buffer baked in. Not just in their strategy docs, but in their actual plans.
This spells opportunity. Sites that were previously dismissed as “out-of-sequence” or speculative may now sit squarely within a growth zone. For developers, the challenge shifts from land scarcity to timing and selection.
You can get ahead by targeting under-utilised land near existing infrastructure. The political appetite for proactive rezoning is rising. The winners will lock up land early and deliver it when the pipes arrive.
Sheep runs are now suburbs-in-waiting
GfHG puts rural-urban boundaries on life support. Councils must be responsive to well-prepared private plan changes. If you can show infrastructure alignment and credible demand, the old growth limits won’t hold you back.
For developers, the fringe is back in play. Land on the edge of towns like Porirua, Paraparaumu, Ōtaki and Levin could be rezoned sooner than expected. Town-edge farmland is no longer the buffer; it’s tomorrow’s subdivision.
Think skywards, not sideways
Growth isn’t just heading outward. It’s going vertical. GfHG requires councils to unlock medium and high-density development along frequent transit routes. Think 6+ storey zoning along bus corridors, rail lines, and town spines.
If your site sits near a bus stop or station, height is now part of the equation. Setbacks will shrink, carparks will be optional, and mixed-use is in. Modular medium-rise could be the sweet spot for speed and scale.
Design to demand, not diktat
One of the more libertarian shifts? Many of the old urban design rules are on the chopping block. Onsite amenity requirements may be relaxed or scrapped altogether.
Growth pays for growth
Expect sharper pencils on infrastructure funding. Development contributions could be replaced with more regulated, catchment-wide levies. Transparent, yes; More expensive, probably.
The principle is simple: new development should pay for the infrastructure it needs. The risk is that some marginal sites may face higher per-lot costs than before.
For developers, this means feasibility is king. Work closely with experts like us and the Councils to align infrastructure timing and cost recovery. We can help build your spreadsheets with a little bit more fat.
Sooner or later, everything old is new again
One of the less obvious shifts is for councils to maintain overall housing capacity. If they zone less in the city (to preserve character or heritage), they must rezone more somewhere else.
This creates a stealthy upside. When the city says no to six-storeys in the leafy suburbs, expect greenfield or fringe sites to quietly gain capacity. That upzoning pressure has to go somewhere.
We’re paying close attention to where councils are trying to make the numbers work. Those places may offer faster uplift and fewer political hurdles.
The ground is shifting – literally
Going for Housing Growth is designed to make land less scarce, housing more responsive, and councils more accountable. But in the short term, it creates uncertainty and flux.
At Infill, we see opportunity in that flux. Whether it’s a paddock outside town, a long skinny lot on a bus route, or a run-down commercial block ready for mixed-use, the new rules reward readiness.
