To help combat Auckland's housing crisis, Special Housing Areas have been identified across the city where fast-track development of affordable housing can take place.
The SHAs are in selected areas earmarked for development, all within the Rural Urban Boundary which defines the extent of urban development in Auckland during the next 30 years.
Dr Smith and Auckland Mayor Len Brown announced another 17 of these areas today, saying they would yield an additional 8000 homes.
This latest housing project will be developed under the Auckland Housing Accord, which was last year agreed on by Auckland Council and the Government to assist in addressing the supply side of Auckland's housing shortage.
To date, 63 SHAs have been established across Auckland. Once this tranche is approved by the Cabinet, there would be 80, the statement said.
"It's great to see this land being used to inject more people into our area. The development will have positive effects on the local economy and provide great new public amenities that will cater for all ages," councillor Calum Penrose said.
"This project will also enable housing development of a type and price point in an area of much demand. That has to be good for our community. The team behind the project have a reputation for being meticulous in their methods and will create stunning facilities that will take Papakura and the south forward."
Phil Twyford, Labour's housing spokesman, said National was creating "ghost houses" because they would never materialise and only 20 consents had been issued for the 39,000 places.
"These are ghost houses, to go with National's ghost tax cut. Families cannot live in ghost houses, they need real affordable homes. The fact is that after six years in office - and 15 months after National announced the Housing Accord - they are now scrambling to move the first family into a completed home in one of the Special Housing Areas before the election," Twyford said.
See a map of the latest tranche of Auckland Special Housing Areas here:
Sir Noel Robinson, the principal of Motleon which owns the properties, has embarked on a master-planned development that will integrate with Opaheke Park, the statement said.
As part of the development, Motleon will pay to remove a public encumbrance on the former golf course property. That money will be spent on improvements and facilities at Opaheke Park to benefit the wider community."
Bill McEntee, chairman of the Papakura Local Board, said the master planning provided the opportunity to create not only a great development, but also a process to decide what community facilities will be provided, how best to integrate these with the overall development and how to ensure that it is of maximum benefit to the greater community.
Motleon is working on detailed storm water modelling and other substantial technical work, so consent applications for development of the land can be prepared.
See a map of all Auckland's Special Housing Areas here:
* Motleon is planning to hold public open days from 3:30pm to 7:30pm on September 22 and 23 at Rosehill Intermediate school. This will give the community a chance to see what is being planned, ask questions and provide their feedback on the development.
