Ultimately, in terms of its impact on Auckland housing, the City Rail Link (CRL) will potentially turn out to be as big a game changer as the Harbour Bridge and the Southern, Northern and Western motorways proved to be in their time.

These initiatives linked central Auckland to its satellite settlements and led to farmland becoming suburbs to the south, north and west.

They are projects that catapulted Auckland ahead of the other major metropolitan centres of Wellington and Christchurch, and cemented Auckland’s position as the country’s dominant metropolitan area.

The opening of the CRL in 2026 will trigger Auckland’s next leap forward by refocusing the development of housing within the city and its inner suburbs.

The CRL, when fully operational, will be capable of moving more than 50,000 people an hour into, around and out of the central city.

Its implications for the City’s housing are as significant as its ability to improve public mobility.

Already, the Government has mandated for higher density housing complexes in the vicinity of its stations – 15 storeys high in some locations, and 10 in others. In the wake of these large housing complexes will come smaller, private initiatives filling in the gaps with apartments and town houses. 

Some will find such intensification a challenge and will miss the retention of the existing character of these areas. But as with the developments that occurred to the south, north and west of central Auckland, over time these new communities will create their own character. It will also help meet the housing needs of a growing number of people whose preference is for inner city living.

Higher density population within the CRL transport corridor will also make greater use of existing infrastructure and services, adding life to the central city’s cafés and entertainment venues. It will also give the central business district’s 160,000 strong workforce an easy means of moving around.    

 Opening of the CRL will be yet another step in making Auckland one of the South Pacific’s premier cities. 

While apartment and town house living still has some way to go before being universally accepted, it is really Auckland catching up with what is the norm in many European and North American metropolitan areas.

While we may not always be conscious of it, Auckland housing is been constantly evolving and undergoing change over the past 30 to 40 years. However, that change is often so gradual that it becomes the norm without comment. 

For example, there was a time when a 3-bedroom, single storey home of 112 sqm (1200 sq ft) surrounded by a garden was the ideal. Over the years this transformed into a two-storey, open plan home with ensuite bathroom and seamless outdoor flow to large decks. 

In Auckland the time for the rise of apartment and town house living has arrived. 

What drives the adoption of game changers such as the motorways, the Harbour Bridge and the CRL is population growth, and while there are numerous anecdotal stories about the number of people ‘fleeing’ Auckland for other centres – be it for cheaper housing or for a quieter way of life – the fact is Auckland is still set to hit a population of 2 million people within the next 10 years.

That’s a population increase of some 300,000 on today’s number of residents. That’s greater than the number of people who live in Hamilton.

It is investments in future infrastructure such as the CRL, and housing intensification such as the 15-storey special zones, that will ensure that as Auckland grows it retains its ability to offer its residents the best lifestyle possible. 

Without such investment, Auckland would be under threat of losing the vitality that makes it the country’s leading metropolitan area. 

Peter Thompson, Managing Director, 

Barfoot & Thompson

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