Dear John --

In case you missed it, earlier this week our Government announced that we’re making it easier for New Zealanders to build granny flats in their own back yards.

We’re changing the Building Act and Resource Management Act so that granny flats can be built without the need for resource or building consent, making it more affordable for families to live in ways that suit them best.

Removing unnecessary red tape will not only speed up the build process, it will save up to $6,500 just in standard building and resource consenting fees per build – let alone all the savings in time and resource.

We’ve published a discussion document for public consultation with proposed changes to the Building Act and RMA which can be found here: mbie.govt.nz/grannyflats.

Safeguards will be put in place to make sure flats meet expectations for building performance and quality, and appropriately manage environmental effects.

These changes fit with our wider package of work to address our housing crisis through the Going for Housing Growth agenda. We need more houses in New Zealand, and this is one way to achieve that.

Consultation is now open. You can find more detail in the discussion document published yesterday, and I encourage you to provide feedback online by emailing [email protected]. We want to hear from everyone who has constructive suggestions that will help make sure we get this right.

The changes are expected to be in place from mid-2025.

Hon Chris Bishop,
Minister of Housing