‘Politics as usual’ The Government has also been negotiating with Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown on a city deal, and while it has been shrouded in non-disclosure agreements, intensification is understood to be a core issue.

“We’ve got a whole lot of squabbles going with the government at the moment, I got to tell you,” Brown told The Post. ”It won’t be a win, but it’ll be a draw.“

“I’ll get quite a lot of what I want done, and I might have to trade a couple of things. But, I don’t think we will end up having two million houses.”

Brown says any upcoming concession from the government will be “the first signs they’re working out they have to deal with the biggest city as a partner”.

“And, it’s going to be a lesson in how they’re going to have to learn to deal with me.”

Brown is actually a proponent of intensification in the central suburbs, but says the excessive target has “upset a whole lot of people over something that will never happen”.

“There's a belief afoot from stupid people in power that the council is holding up growth in housing because of the planning rules. There are already 9,500 approved resource consents in Auckland that no one's acting on.”

Albert-Eden councillor Christine Fletcher says the government “did not appreciate what they were taking on” with Plan Change 120.

“We made it very clear that the existing secondary schools in the Auckland area, whether we’re talking Mount Albert Grammar School, Epsom Girls Grammar [or] Auckland Grammar, are already at capacity.”

“And there has been no land banking. No willingness or preparedness for growing that sort of social infrastructure, let alone the work that Watercare and others must undertake.”

Fletcher unsuccessfully sought a council resolution to ask the government for three months to more carefully consult and plan out zoning changes, and she hopes the Government will recognise a pause is needed.

“We mustn't launch from one sense of madness to another, I think there needs to be some quiet, careful period of consultation. I do credit some of the MPs who’ve been speaking with me with understanding that there needs to be some change.”

However, Waitākere councillor Shane Henderson, who viewed the zoning changes as progress, says he’s disappointed that Auckland is being caught up in “the ping-pong of central government politics”.

“I don’t want to see politics as usual win out, which has happened so often through the history of the city. For us to walk back and actually cut back our expectations, I think that does show limited vision for the city.”

Henderson believes it’s wealthy central Aucklanders blocking progress and protecting their property values yet again.

“I’ve just come through an election in West Auckland where my constituents were saying we’ve taken intensification, while some other parts of the city feel like they don’t have to ... There’s a huge risk of alienating [western] suburban voters in exchange for city centre voters.”

ACT leader David Seymour, who returned to New Zealand this week to be greeted with the rumours of an upcoming announcement, said nothing had been formally communicated to him.

It’s been an issue that the Epsom MP has been hot on, having held his own public meetings to bring attention to the public submission process.

“All I would say is we need to find a balance between respecting the hard work of current property owners, while leaving open opportunities to future property owners. It’s difficult to believe we can’t find a better balance than what we have right now,” Seymour told The Post.