Auckland, New Zealand — January 15, 2024 — Kiwi homeowners just got a significant green light to add space. As of today, January 15, 2024, New Zealand property owners can build granny flats up to 70 square meters without the usual resource or building consents, though some conditions apply. It’s a move designed to ease the country’s housing pressures, but will it actually work?
Granny Flats Get a Fast Pass: What New Zealanders Need to Know
New rules allow homeowners to build secondary dwellings up to 70 square meters without lengthy consent processes, but aren’t a free pass.
- Homeowners can build granny flats up to 70 sqm without resource consent.
- Structures must adhere to the Building Code and be built by licensed professionals.
- Councils need to be informed of construction, but can’t block it.
- The policy aims to increase housing options and reduce construction costs.
The changes, announced by Housing Minister Chris Bishop alongside other ministers at a 65-square-meter minor residential unit in Auckland’s Riverhead, aim to provide “more flexibility” and contribute to solving New Zealand’s ongoing housing crisis. But Bishop cautioned that the new rules are “not a complete free-for-all.”
Q: What’s the biggest change with these new rules?
A: Homeowners no longer need to go through the often-lengthy and expensive process of obtaining resource consent to build a granny flat up to 70 square meters, streamlining the process and potentially lowering costs.
Granny flats must be designed simply and meet all requirements of the Building Code. All work must be carried out or supervised by licensed building professionals. Other conditions apply to the consent exemption, including site-to-boundary coverage rules. “If you read the details carefully, there’s a variety of rules in there,” Bishop explained. “You can’t just go and build something out the back. You’ve got to follow the Building Code. You’ve got to follow the standards set out.”
Concerns about building quality were raised, but Bishop stated the government had worked to strike the right balance through consultation. The same restrictions that apply to standard dwellings will also apply to granny flats, preventing construction in areas prone to flooding where houses are currently prohibited.
Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk emphasized that councils must be informed when a granny flat is planned, though they cannot veto the construction. “It’s not an opportunity for them to say no…but it’s an awareness on the part of the council of what is being built,” Penk said. He added that completed granny flats must be added to council records for rating and infrastructure planning purposes.
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones, who has been working on similar accommodation solutions since 2006 with RSE workers, sees the policy as a way to expand homeownership opportunities for New Zealanders. The policy was a key component of his party’s coalition agreement with National.
Penk believes the reforms will benefit students, seniors, and rural workers, providing a “real boon” for the construction sector. He also noted that because the policy allows for one granny flat per existing property, it shouldn’t significantly strain council water services.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has published guidance and templates on its website to assist homeowners, councils, and building professionals with the new regulations.
Plans to cut costs and rules for building have been welcomed as a way to reduce homelessness, but concerns are raised about quality control.
What do you think about the new rules? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
