Fast-track’s ad hoc pipeline for 60,000 dwellings is no way to plan Auckland’s growth – Gary Taylor

Opinion byGary TaylorNZ Herald·23 Sep, 2026 05:00 AM6 mins to readGary Taylor is the chief executive of the Environmental Defence Society.Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop has promised to pass legislation allowing councils to amend development contributions.Auckland needs more homes. But it does not need them anywhere, at any cost, or through an ad hoc process that sidelines the region’s carefully developed spatial plan.That distinction is being lost in the Government’s use of the Fast-track Approvals Act for large greenfield subdivisions. Fast-track may