http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.clcgroup.co.nz en-us Tue, 26 May 2026 00:07:57 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/post/162139/proposed-changes-to-the-earthquake-prone-buildings-epb-system/ The New Zealand Government has proposed changes to the earthquake-prone building (EPB) system. These changes could affect many private building owners, especially in Auckland and Northland. While the updates are not yet in place, they could simplify the current system and reduce requirements for some properties. A Simpler, More Focused SystemThe main goal of the proposal is to reduce the number of buildings classified as earthquake-prone and to focus mandatory mitigation requirements on bui... Fri, 20 Mar 2026 07:48:52 +1300 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/#post162139 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/post/158698/fast-track-approvals/ The Government’s Fast-Track Approvals regime is designed to help important projects move through the planning system more quickly and with greater certainty. Recent amendments have refined how the system works, making it a more permanent and a practical alternative to the standard consenting process under the Resource Management Act (RMA). For developers, infrastructure providers, and landowners, this creates new opportunities—but also new responsibilities. What... Tue, 13 Jan 2026 12:56:04 +1300 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/#post158698 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/post/158319/building-a-granny-flat-or-minor-dwelling-just-got-a-lot-easier/ From 15 January 2026, a new National Environmental Standard (NES) makes it significantly easier to add a detached minor dwelling, often called a granny flat, to residential properties across Auckland.The new, nationally consistent, permitted activity rules will apply to all the Auckland Unitary Plan Residential Zones, the Business - Mixed Use Zone and also removes rules requiring consents for the Rural Zones.For many homeowners, this removes the uncertainty, delay, and cost that has traditionall... Mon, 22 Dec 2025 07:38:09 +1300 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/#post158319 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/post/157044/what-is-plan-change-120/ PC120, formally dubbed “Housing Intensification & Resilience”, is the new package of planning-rule changes that has replaced most of Plan Change 78 (PC78). It has been prepared under updated national legislation and aims to deliver the same overall dwelling-capacity target (~ 2 million homes), but via a much more targeted and risk-aware approach.Key shifts under PC120The blanket application of three-storey housing entitlements (via the Medium Density Residential Standards, MDRS) across n... Mon, 01 Dec 2025 11:37:08 +1300 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/#post157044 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/post/156995/porous-lane-delivers-sustainable-low-impact-surfacing-for-te-whare-pora-at-auckland-botanic-garden-in-manurewa/ Watersmart Project Overview... Fri, 28 Nov 2025 12:41:03 +1300 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/#post156995 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/post/154388/understanding-aucklands-new-flood-hazard-framework-under-plan-change-120-pc120/ Auckland Council has introduced important changes to the way flood hazards are managed across the region. Through Plan Change 120 (PC120) – Housing Intensification and Resilience, the Natural Hazards and Flooding (E36) chapter of the Auckland Unitary Plan has been rewritten. The revised provisions, which are now operative, move away from a purely “hazard presence” approach and adopt a risk-based framework that recognises the different levels of exposure, vulnerability and consequence for p... Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:35:02 +1300 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/#post154388 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/post/152057/plan-change-78-replacement-auckland-council-housing-intensification-update-2025/ In August, Council’s Policy and Planning Committee reviewed a new version of Plan Change 78 – Intensification. This updated version no longer includes the controversial Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS) that were introduced by the previous government.The proposed changes will be open to the public submission from late October 2025. On the same day as Council’s review, the Government passed a new law removing the requirement for the big city councils to use MDRS. However, councils... Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/#post152057 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/post/150769/the-current-climate-for-land-development--and-what-it-means-for-you/ The Market Right NowNew Zealand’s land development sector is in an interesting position. House prices have edged upward in 2025, but demand remains patchy across regions. In Auckland and the wider Golden Triangle (Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga), growth is still strong, with over half of the country’s building consents coming from this area (for the year ending March 2025).At the same time, new legislation such as the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 is reshaping how significant projects move for... Mon, 18 Aug 2025 13:42:21 +1200 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/#post150769 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/post/148534/is-now-a-better-time-to-subdivide/ With recent changes in the property market and evolving council planning rules, many landowners are starting to ask: Is now a better time to subdivide?The answer? It depends – but the outlook is certainly more encouraging than it was 12–18 months ago. Market Confidence Is GrowingAfter a period of uncertainty, buyer confidence is slowly returning. Interest rates appear to be stabilising, and there's cautious optimism in the residential and infill development sectors. While the market has... Fri, 11 Jul 2025 12:15:00 +1200 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/#post148534 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/post/147074/what-ever-happened-to-plan-change-78-and-the-mdrs/ Do you remember those daily COVID-19 updates during Auckland’s lockdowns? Around that time, a major announcement was made to help create more housing in the major cities. It introduced a mandatory set of building bulk and location rules known as the Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS).What Is Plan Change 78?Six months later, Auckland Council introduced Plan Change 78 (PC78), which identified where the MDRS would apply. It meant many residential areas — Single House Zones and Mixed Ho... Thu, 12 Jun 2025 09:34:56 +1200 http://www.clcgroup.co.nz/blog/#post147074