At the same time, heritage listings were removed for 10 buildings, including the derelict Gordon Wilson flats, long deemed an eyesore on The Terrace. It means that finally they might be demolished.
Proponents say the new plan paves the way for a more affordable city, will make building a house easier and will be better for the planet - with fewer people having to commute from outer suburbs, leading to lower emissions.
It’s a major win for those pushing for more development, not least because it differs greatly from what an Independent Housing Panel (IHP) had recommended. In fact, councillors rejected 11 of the panel’s recommendations around intensification, character and heritage protection, putting their own alternatives forward instead.
Those rejected recommendations will now be referred to Housing Minister Chris Bishop for the final decision. He doesn’t need approval from Cabinet, sign-off is his alone.
And what’s interesting is, by all accounts, it seems he’s going to side with the council. A right-leaning minister finding common ground with one of the most left-leaning city councils in the country - criticised as “upzoning zealots” by some - because of how inarguably bad our housing shortage is.
He also announced a suite of measures he had taken to Cabinet to implement the Government’s housing policy, which he argued would free up more land for development and make housing more affordable.
It was that same speech where he revealed he would be the “decision-maker on relevant district plan changes relating to housing where councils and independent hearings panels do not agree — for example, the Wellington IHP process depending on where the Wellington City Council lands on it”.
He said the market was so broken, many young people “think they have no hope of ever owning their own home”.
“And for many, they’re right. They don’t. Are we surprised that so many are leaving New Zealand?”
It’s clear this Government wants to get things done, and Bishop has been front and centre when it comes to making that happen.
Earlier this month, he stood alongside Prime Minister Chris Luxon at Wellington’s Basin Reserve to unveil a new bill designed to speed up New Zealand’s consenting process. The fast-track legislation will essentially allow ministers to consent to major infrastructure projects themselves.
Bishop, also Leader of the House, told the Herald:“We campaigned on real delivery, and delivering is exactly what we’ve been doing.”
When it comes to delivering more houses for Wellington, the councillors and Bishop may at first glance appear strange bedfellows, but they’re largely driven by the same motivation. Cost.
Those on the left of the political divide ultimately want to make it cheaper and easier to build a house so more people in turn can afford to buy one. For Bishop, it’s also about getting more people into their own homes, to drive fewer people offshore and to lessen the financial burden on the state to house the homeless.
Wellington councillors are banking on Bishop to share their vision of a denser and more high-rise capital, and there’s something poetic in the future of the city now lying in the hands of a proud lad from the Hutt.
