Collins is proposing a law change that would give the Government power to rezone council land, making room for 30 years worth of growth in housing supply, both through intensification - or focusing on compact urban growth - and building on land that has never been used, referred to as greenfield development. The appeals process would be suspended so district plans could be completed as quickly as possible, Collins said. Requirements for infrastructure to be built prior to zoning would also be suspended.
She said it would be a nationwide equivalent of the emergency powers put in place to get houses built in Christchurch following the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes.