- Hon Chris Bishop
- Hon Chris Penk
- Hon Shane Jones
Just-passed legislation will soon allow Kiwis to build granny flats up to 70 square metres in their backyards without a building consent, unlocking more housing choices and delivering on a key Coalition Government commitment in the Q4 Action Plan.
"It's currently far too hard to build the homes New Zealanders need, with even the simplest dwellings requiring complicated and costly consent processes," RMA Reform and Housing Minister Chris Bishop says.
"We know increasing housing availability directly translates to lower living costs for our communities. That's why the coalition Government is making it faster and more affordable to build granny flats up to 70 square metres.
"These simple dwellings have the potential to be part of the solution for providing families with more housing options. This will be great for grandparents, people with disabilities, young adults, and workers in the rural sector.
"To support this change to the Building Act, updated National Direction under the Resource Management Act (RMA) will remove the need for resource consents for granny flats and is expected to be in place by the end of the year."
"I have been working on these changes for two decades and I am delighted the New Zealand First-National Coalition agreement has delivered a commonsense housing solution," Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says.
"For whanau who live in extended family situations, this is an affordable option.
"Companies that provide accommodation for their staff, and for small communities such as the Chatham Islands, this legislation will have many practical applications."
Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says it's also a positive step for boosting productivity in New Zealand's construction sector.
"The exemption is expected to deliver roughly 13,000 more granny flats over the next decade, meaning we'll see more work for builders in the pipeline without local councils managing unnecessary consenting burdens for simple building work," Mr Penk says.
"Local councils will be freed up to focus their attention on more complex building work where the need for an inspection and thorough consenting processes is much greater.
"Even with the building consent exemption in place, it's important Kiwis remember that they will only be eligible for the exemption if their granny flats are simple in design, meet the Building Code and building work is carried out by authorised building professionals.
"Homeowners will also need to notify their local council before they begin building and once the granny flat is completed.
"I know that many homeowners have been following this work with interest over the past year and may be wondering what comes next.
"The new exemption will come into effect in Q1 2026, but New Zealanders can start planning now and over their summer breaks. A good place to start is having conversations with designers and builders to understand what's possible on your property under the exemption.
"Meanwhile, the Government is working quickly to ensure that councils, homeowners and building professionals have access to the necessary forms, templates, and guidance before the exemption comes into effect early next year. We'll have more to say on this soon."
Note to editors:
- The building consent exemption for granny flats up to 70 square metres will be given effect by the Building and Construction (Small Standalone Dwellings) Bill and associated regulations.
- Any building work on a granny flat that is either in progress now or starts before the exemption comes into effect in Q1 2026 will continue to require a building consent.
- Most of the specific design requirements for a 'simple design' of a granny flat can be found on the Government's Building Performance website.
- To support local infrastructure in growing communities, councils can charge development contributions for granny flats when issuing a Project Information Memorandum (PIM).
