PC120: What East Auckland Property Owners Need to Know
Auckland Council has introduced some of the most significant planning changes in years through Plan Change 120 (PC120) — a package that reshapes housing intensification rules while completely overhauling how flood hazards are managed across the region.
Whether you’re a homeowner, buyer, or developer, PC120 will likely affect how your property can be used, improved, or valued. Here’s a simple breakdown of what’s changing and why it matters.
What is PC120?
PC120 replaces the earlier Plan Change 78 and continues Auckland’s move toward higher-density housing in key areas. But it also introduces a far more detailed and risk-focused approach to managing natural hazards — something that has become increasingly important after recent severe weather events.
In short, PC120 has two big goals:
Enable more housing, especially around the city centre, metropolitan hubs, train stations and key public transport routes — in some places up to 10–15 storeys.
Manage natural hazard risks more effectively, particularly in flood-prone or coastal areas.
Submissions on PC120 are open until 19 December 2025, meaning now is the time to understand how these changes may affect you.
A New Way of Assessing Flood Risk
One of the most significant elements of PC120 is the complete rewrite of the Natural Hazards and Flooding (E36) chapter of the Auckland Unitary Plan.
The previous framework looked mainly at whether a property sat inside a mapped floodplain or overland flow path — in other words, “is there a hazard present?”
PC120 moves to a risk-based approach, which considers:
How often flooding could occur
How deep or fast floodwaters might be
The likely impact on people, buildings, and infrastructure
The sensitivity of different types of activities to flooding
This means not all flooding is treated equally — and not all activities carry the same exposure or consequence.
Flood Hazard Categories
Flood hazard areas still include:
Floodplains
Flood-prone areas
Overland flow paths
But PC120 now classifies them into four hazard levels:
Very High
High
Medium
Low
Different activities also get grouped by how sensitive they are:
Highly sensitive: homes, hospitals, care facilities, marae
Potentially sensitive: schools, offices, retail, community facilities
Less sensitive: parks, carparks, some rural activities
By combining the activity type with the hazard level, the plan determines the risk outcome:
Significant risk – development generally avoided
Potentially tolerable risk – requires strong mitigation and design
Acceptable risk – development can proceed with standard controls
What This Means for Development
If you’re planning to build or redevelop in a flood-affected area, you’ll need to demonstrate that flood risk is understood and appropriately managed. This may include assessing:
Flood depth and frequency
The effect on people and property
Long-term climate change impacts
Council also encourages nature-based solutions before hard engineering, such as:
Vegetated buffers
Detention areas or flood storage
Restored overland flow paths
These approaches create resilience while reducing reliance on walls, culverts and concrete structures.
Urban vs Non-Urban Areas
PC120 introduces a clearer distinction between existing urban areas and non-urban areas:
In established urban environments: redevelopment may continue where risk is tolerable and can be mitigated.
In non-urban or unserviced areas: new development should avoid places with significant risk entirely.
This shift ensures growth occurs where infrastructure can actually support resilience.
Supporting Existing Properties
PC120 recognises that many existing homes and buildings can’t simply move.
Instead, the plan supports gradual adaptation, such as:
Making buildings more flood-resilient
Reducing intensity of use
Moving vulnerable activities to safer parts of a site
The long-term goal is to move existing development toward an acceptable level of risk over time.
PC120 and Property Value
Because PC120 has immediate legal effect, the impacts are already showing up in LIM reports, which now include detailed natural hazard information such as:
Flood risk
Landslide risk
Coastal erosion risk
Other climate-related hazards
This matters because properties identified as high-risk may:
Face higher insurance premiums
Receive exclusions or declined cover
Be treated as higher-risk security by lenders
See development options restricted or down-zoned
At the same time, properties in intensification zones may gain significant redevelopment potential through increased height or density allowances.
In other words: PC120 creates both risk and opportunity depending on where a property sits.
Why PC120 Matters Right Now
If you own property, plan to buy, or are considering development, now is the time to:
Check your property's zoning under the draft PC120 maps
Review updated LIMs directly from Council
Understand whether your site sits within new hazard overlays
Consider making a submission before 19 December 2025
PC120 isn’t a small tweak - it’s a major shift in Auckland’s planning rules that will shape how the city grows, adapts and becomes more resilient over the next several decades.