National's Chris Bishop says the party is "carefully monitoring community feedback" and "open to sensible changes" on its bipartisan housing accord with Labour, which sees denser house zoning allowed nationwide.
When asked to stand by the policy going into the election, the party's housing spokesperson and campaign chairperson said: "National is planning on going into the election with a housing policy that reflects the idea of greater density in our cities".
Building denser housing has been a divisive issue in some neighbourhoods as new legislation permits developers to build more homes in existing city suburbs.
Dubbed by some as the "townhouse bill", Medium Density Residential Standards have raised height restrictions on houses to three storeys across New Zealand cities.
It was brought in with bipartisan support from both Labour and National in 2021. However, ACT has opposed the new law and says it's not a solution to the housing crisis.
Councils in Auckland and Christchurch have pushed back on the changes, which they see as too permissive without enough carve-outs for local issues.
Bishop said National has "always" been "open to sensible changes" to the housing intensification. He said the party hadn't been considering any specific changes to the housing laws but that it was "carefully monitoring" council and community feedback.
"I'm not backing away from it. We've always said we're open to sensible changes around it. It's in the middle of bedding in at the moment. You've got Auckland going through its process, Christchurch going through its process," he said.
"What we're doing is carefully monitoring the way in which the councils are approaching it, and carefully monitoring the community feedback that's coming through. And we'll have more to say about housing in due course."
Last year, a Q+A Kantar Public Poll found Aucklanders were more divided on whether they want greater housing intensification in their neighbourhoods when compared to Wellingtonians, who took a more favourable view.
In Wellington, 64% of eligible voters supported more townhouses or apartments, 22% opposed, and the same number didn't know or refused to answer.
But in Auckland, the poll showed an almost dead-even split, with 42% supporting more homes while 44% opposed it. Meanwhile, 14% either didn't know or refused to answer.
Poll participants were asked: "Housing intensification involves building a greater number of homes on the same amount of land, for example, by building apartments or townhouses. Do you support or oppose greater housing intensification in your neighbourhood to help make housing more affordable?"
Speaking to Q+A today, Bishop said the townhouse bill to enable more houses was an "enhancement of property rights".
"The reason we signed that deal was because it essentially reflects… the Government coming around to National's views that it's been way too difficult to build houses in New Zealand.
"It's an enhancement of property rights and allows people to get on and do a bit of subdivision build."
In a media release this morning, ACT's deputy leader Brooke Van Velden said Bishop's interview comments showed he "refused to commit" to his party's housing policy.
The party's policy maintains that there is "enough land zoned for housing" and that there was "no thought for existing homeowners" as a result of the upzoning. Instead, Van Velden said the focus needed to be on additional infrastructure funding for councils.
"It means someone can build a three-storey building one metre from your boundary with no design standards. It could mean floor-to-ceiling windows on the third floor looking into your living room, with no thought for existing homeowners," Van Velden said.
She said ACT's alternative zoning proposal would be more "sympathetic to existing neighbourhoods and property owners".
Recent 1News Kantar Public Polls indicate that National would require ACT's support to form a coalition government following a general election.
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