Auckland’s apartment projects to dominate in 2024 - The Front Page

The Seascape apartment building in Auckland will become New Zealand's tallest once it is complete. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Developers are continuing to focus their attention on apartment buildings, with many new projects completed or under construction this year.

Auckland has already seen multiple major apartment buildings open in recent years as one way of tackling the housing crisis, but that trend will hit a fever pitch in 2024.

Seascape, the country’s tallest apartment building, is expected to open on Customs Street in the CBD later this year, but as NZ Herald property editor Anne Gibson tells The Front Page, that’s just one major project to keep an eye on.

Others include the Marutūahu-Ockham Partnership developing a new village at the old Carrington Hospital site in Mt Albert and the Catalina Bay Apartments in Hobsonville Point.

“There are still new applications coming through for apartment buildings, and still a lot going on, like at Takapuna on Esmond Road, Amaia is being built there, and a lot of advancement all over the city, in suburban areas in particular, for new apartment buildings,” Gibson says.

She said that with so many buildings cropping up, competition is growing between developers to attract potential buyers to their developments.

That includes offering work-life balance and transport options. Gibson cited projects being developed by Kiwi Property Group for its Sylvia Park and Lynn Mall sites for huge build-to-rent schemes.

“The game here is what they call live, work, play. So there are a number of office buildings already at Sylvia Park, a railway line, a big bus interchange there, you’re going to have IKEA opening there fairly soon. Then you have hundreds of people moving into these blocks which rise up to about 12 levels, so that area of market competition is really significant.”

The build-to-rent scheme is also being developed by the Simplicity Living KiwiSaver fund on Mt Wellington land . Gibson said these schemes will bring about a big social change for New Zealand.

And while some projects are rising higher and higher into the sky, Gibson said some restrictions remain in place to protect some of the view shafts of the city. However, she said that 56-storey buildings - the height Seascape will hit upon completion - are not unusual in Australia and could be more common here.

“It’s somewhat confronting to some people to see the height of buildings, and when Commercial Bay rose on the waterfront, I think that really changed the look of the city, but there’s a lot of amenities there in terms of the quality of the offices and the views, and now Precinct are talking about building apartments as well as offices on the Downtown Car Park site.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more from Anne Gibson on apartments and hotels in Auckland.

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. This episode was presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in crime/justice reporting who joined Newstalk ZB in 2016.

You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.