Update on Public Transport Network

Monday 18 May
11.30am - 1.30pm
Auckland
Cost: UDINZ Member Free, Non-Member $80

Join us at an engaging lunchtime event, co-hosted by UDINZ and Auckland Transport, offering:

• a timely update on the rapid expansion of Auckland’s Frequent Transit Network (FTN) and its impact on urban development throughout Tāmaki Makaurau; and

• the Room to Move initiatives dedicated to keeping the network across the city and region efficient as it continues to grow.

More detail on both below.

Auckland’s FTN
Auckland’s FTN is the “turn up and go” network, delivering services every 15 minutes from 7am to 7pm, seven days a week. In an update to last year’s presentation, we will hear from Pete Moth on how this approach—where “frequency is freedom”—makes public transport a viable, everyday option for more Aucklanders. The progress has been impressive: fewer than 10 FTN routes in 2016, expanding to 28 in 2018, 43 in 2025, and as of late April 2026, 45 routes in operation.
The momentum continues with exciting developments. Route 37 and 39 now connect Manurewa, Clendon, and Highbrook. Mid-June will see routes 15 and 17 upgraded to frequent service, serving Henderson Valley and Titirangi. Later this year, frequent route 42 will extend to Paerata, in line with new southern rail stations. By the end of 2026, Auckland will feature 48 FTN routes, with further expansion planned for 2027 as more stations become available.
At the event, we’ll explore how Auckland’s FTN growth is transforming accessibility, urban development opportunities, and travel behaviors across the city. This matters for anyone involved in planning, delivering, or investing in urban development. You’ll gain insights on:

• How development sites across Auckland are increasingly connected by frequent public transport.

• Opportunities for continued growth in public transport use and development.

• The importance of integrating public transport and land use planning for stronger communities and a more vibrant city.

Room to Move
Andrew McGill will also present on Room to Move—an important initiative dedicated to keeping our network efficient as it continues to grow. With new routes and services being introduced, it’s essential to ensure smooth operations. Andrew will discuss how Room to Move is addressing congestion, enhancing service reliability, and supporting a seamless experience for all FTN users. These insights will highlight the operational strategies and innovations that are strengthening Auckland’s public transport system.

In addition to these core transit improvements, Andrew will delve into how we’re reimagining the use of our streets and parking spaces to create a more dynamic, flexible urban environment. As Auckland grows, the demands on our infrastructure intensify, making it vital to adapt public spaces for greater efficiency and safety. By integrating innovative approaches—such as shared spaces, adaptive parking strategies, and prioritizing pedestrian-friendly environments—we’re ensuring that everyone can move around safely and efficiently. These changes not only support the needs of current residents but also anticipate future growth, contributing to a more vibrant, accessible city. Andrew will provide insights into the ways Room to Move is fostering this transformation, illustrating how these improvements are designed to enhance mobility, reduce bottlenecks, and promote sustainable transport options across Auckland.

Format
This lunchtime session is a relaxed “brown paper bag” event—an informal opportunity to connect & learn, during your lunch break. Feel free to bring your own lunch or pick up something nearby.

We look forward to welcoming you and exploring these exciting developments together!

"Open Mic" Session on NZCC Discussion Paper on ring-fencing regulated water services revenue (Members Only)

Tuesday 19 May
11.00am - 12.00pm
Online
Cost: UDINZ Member Free

UDINZ is holding an online “Open Mic" session on NZCC Discussion Paper on ring-fencing regulated water services revenue  for UDINZ members on 19th May to sense check our thinking and collect member comments and any concerns with what is proposed around the propose to monitor and enforce ring‑fencing of water revenue under the Local Government (Water Services) Act.

Ring‑fencing is intended to ensure revenue raised for water services is used to operate, maintain, renew and invest in those services — and not diverted to unrelated activities — while still allowing limited dividends where these do not compromise long‑term sustainability.

Key elements of the proposed approach include:

💧Transparency first – compliance monitored primarily through Information Disclosure, with new reporting requirements from February 2026 and first disclosures due by 30 November 2027.
💧Focus on real‑world cash flows – not just accounting separation, but how funds move over time between services.
💧Flexibility on timing – revenue does not need to be spent in the same year it is earned, and temporary inter‑service cash flows may be acceptable where they support liquidity and investment.
💧Graduated enforcement – enhanced disclosure as the default, with formal ring‑fencing determinations only where material risks or consumer harm are identified.

Potential intervention would be targeted and proportionate, aimed at addressing risks such as deferred investment, cross‑subsidisation, non‑cost‑reflective pricing, or weakened financial discipline.

This consultation is an important opportunity to engage on how ring‑fencing is applied in practice, and how transparency and financial discipline can best support long‑term service outcomes for the development sector and communities.

We are in process of preparing a UDINZ submission which is due on 5 June 2026. 

Everyone is familiar, we're sure, with the concept of an "Open Mic" night where comedians rock on up and do their thing. Member perspectives are key to the feedback we're collecting on the proposed changes, so we're issuing an invite to our members asking them to attend this online "open mic" where they can take the virtual stage to share funny, or not so funny, comments on the proposals - might be ways to finesse existing provisions or unintended consequences with what is proposed. We have collated some of the comments we've already received. What are you seeing/hearing?

For those interested in attending who may be feeling a little whakama/shy, please note the registration form also has a series of open fields, with generous word counts, where you can record your concerns in writing without having to "take the stage". Members are also welcome incidentally to just email us on info@udinz.nz with "NZCC Discussion Paper - Open Mic comments" in the heading too.

UDINZ Economic & Property Market Update with Cotality - Auckland

Thursday 21 May
4.30pm - 6.30pm
Auckland
Cost: UDINZ Member Free, Non-Member $80

Join UDINZ and our research partner Cotality for an Economic and Property Market Update in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland kindly hosted by Beca at their office space part of our wider 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔.

Nick Goodall, Head of Research will discuss the latest trends in the economy and property market, including:

• A detailed look at recent economic and property market trends, including the interest rate and mortgage lending environment

• You’ll also get Cotality’s views on how sales volumes and house prices might perform in the next 6-12 months

• Nick will also provide an update on the how the key fundamentals are unfolding in 2026, including listings patterns, buyer activity by group,  the impact of DTIs, as well as the rental and construction outlook.

UDINZ Innovation in Housing Series Webinar: Land value capture mechanisms an important shaper of project feasibility.

Tuesday 26 May
12.00pm - 1.00pm
Online via Zoom
Cost: UDINZ Member Free, Non-Member $80

We’re pleased to welcome Jeffree Qiu to UDINZ’s Innovation in Housing webinar series, bringing a research‑driven perspective that speaks directly to the challenges and opportunities facing the development community.

As a Doctoral Researcher in Urban Planning at the University of Auckland, Jeffree’s work focuses on how multi‑agent systems and land value capture mechanisms can be designed more fairly in Aotearoa New Zealand. Their research sits at the intersection of planning, economics and delivery, exploring how development value is created, distributed and governed across complex urban systems.

For developers, this session offers a practical lens on questions that are becoming increasingly central to project viability and social licence: how land value capture settings influence development feasibility, how different actors respond to incentives in the system, and where current approaches may unintentionally skew outcomes. Jeffree will unpack these dynamics in a way that connects academic insight with on‑the‑ground development realities.

With experience in urban economic development teaching, sector leadership roles, and active engagement across UDINZ and the wider planning community, Jeffree brings a balanced and informed voice to the conversation. This webinar will be of particular interest to those involved in large‑scale or complex developments, brownfield regeneration, and anyone grappling with how fairness, value and delivery intersect in practice.

The webinar zoom link will be sent to you the day prior to the scheduled webinar date.

UDINZ Development Pipeline 2026 Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

Thursday 18 June
4.30pm - 7.30pm
Tonkin + Taylor, Auckland
Cost: UDINZ Member Free, Prospective Member $150, Non-member $200

Join UDINZ at the Regional Development Pipeline 2026 in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland kindly hosted by Tonkin + Taylor.

At this showcase event we  get to learn interesting projects that are underway or in planning in each major metro. Our aim is to make sure we showcase best practice in housing, any significant enabling infrastructure or community amenity, innovative adaptive reuse/ regeneration projects, and successful mixed-use developments etc. Each Project team will present their project.

This offers well-deserved recognition for the achievements of the project and educates others on what is possible, with an ancillary benefit being the valuable connections across the sector from such event enhancing future collaboration within the urban development sector.

UDINZ members attend free of charge and prospective members (those who we’re talking to about membership who have been provided with a special registration code) at a cost of $150/pp and non members $200/pp

Join your colleagues from across the sector at this popular event.

UDINZ One Day Conference “Beyond the Network”

Tuesday 30 June
9.30am - 6.30pm
Auckland
Cost: UDINZ Member Early-Bird $500 (until 29 May), UDINZ Member Standard $550, Non-Member $650

Reserve your spot at a new UDINZ One Day Conference to be held on 30 June, 2026.

Beyond the Network: a deep dive on disaggregated infrastructure

Building on recent UDINZ site tours and development case studies that have highlighted the practical potential of site‑ and precinct‑scale solutions, Beyond the Network explores a deliberate shift away from an exclusive reliance on large, centralised, trunk‑based infrastructure systems towards more flexible, localised and precinct‑scale approaches to delivering power and three waters.

While traditional network models remain essential, they are increasingly struggling to keep pace with growth, urban intensification, climate pressures and affordability constraints. Capacity bottlenecks, long lead times and high upfront costs are now material barriers to development and housing delivery. Where conventional systems cannot respond quickly enough incumbent infrastructure providers are increasingly being asked to consider non‑networked alternatives and regulators and those formulating policy need to factor that into their thinking.

This one‑day conference focuses on what sits beyond conventional networks, including:

• Disaggregated infrastructure models that enable power and three waters to be delivered at precinct, site or sub‑network scale.

• Alternative ownership, funding and asset operation and governance arrangements.

• Precinct‑based solutions that better align infrastructure provision with land use, development sequencing and market demand.

• The resilience and redundancy benefits of diversified systems over single‑point network dependence.

• Whether the long‑established role of marae as resilient, place‑based community infrastructure — providing power, water, shelter and coordination - during times of disruption offers an alternative model for future urban form and infrastructure provision.

• Regulatory and institutional settings that either enable or constrain innovation outside the traditional network paradigm, including perspectives from incumbent electricity and water networks on risk, partnership models and future operating arrangements.

At Beyond the Network, we will ask how centralised systems can be complemented by smarter, more modular and more responsive approaches — particularly where network constraints are actively stalling development and limiting delivery sequencing and feasibility at a precinct scale.

At its core, the one‑day conference examines disaggregated infrastructure as a city‑shaping tool: one that can unlock stalled precincts, reduce development risk, accelerate delivery, and create more adaptable and resilient urban environments.

Beyond the Network brings together policymakers, infrastructure providers, developers, financiers and practitioners — alongside alternative technology providers, regulators and incumbent utilities — to reconsider where value is really created, and how infrastructure can move from being a constraint on development to a genuine enabler.

Who should attend: utilities and incumbent infrastructure operators, developers, policymakers regulators, financiers, consultants advising on development and infrastructure, suppliers and technology providers and anyone grappling with network constraints and interested in how precinct‑scale power and three waters solutions can unlock stalled development, improve resilience and reshape the New Zealand growth story.

UDINZ Economic & Property Market Update with Cotality - Christchurch

Thursday 2 July
4.30pm - 6.30pm
Christchurch
Cost: UDINZ Member Free, Non-Member $80

Join UDINZ and our research partner Cotality for an Economic and Property Market Update in Ōtautahi Christchurch kindly hosted by Beca at their office space part of our wider 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔.

Kelvin Davidson, Chief Economist will discuss the latest trends in the economy and property market, including:

• A detailed look at recent economic and property market trends, including the interest rate and mortgage lending environment

• You’ll also get Cotality’s views on how sales volumes and house prices might perform in the next 6-12 months

• Nick will also provide an update on the how the key fundamentals are unfolding in 2026, including listings patterns, buyer activity by group,  the impact of DTIs, as well as the rental and construction outlook.

UDINZ Development Pipeline 2026 Te Whanganui a Tara Wellington

Thursday 23 July
4.30pm - 7.30pm
Boffa Miskell, Wellington
Cost: UDINZ Member Free, Prospective Member $150, Non-Member $200

Join UDINZ at the Regional Development Pipeline 2026 in Te Whanganui a Tara Wellington kindly hosted by Boffa Miskell.

At this showcase event we  get to learn interesting projects that are underway or in planning in each major metro. Our aim is to make sure we showcase best practice in housing, any significant enabling infrastructure or community amenity, innovative adaptive reuse/ regeneration projects, and successful mixed-use developments etc. Each Project team will present their project.

This offers well-deserved recognition for the achievements of the project and educates others on what is possible, with an ancillary benefit being the valuable connections across the sector from such event enhancing future collaboration within the urban development sector.

UDINZ members attend free of charge and prospective members (those who we’re talking to about membership who have been provided with a special registration code) at a cost of $150/pp and non members $200/pp

Join your colleagues from across the sector at this popular event.

UDINZ Development Pipeline 2026 Ōtautahi Christchurch

Thursday 20 August
4.30pm - 7.30pm
Aurecon, Christchurch
Cost: UDINZ Member Free, Prospective Member $150, Non-member $200

Join UDINZ at the Regional Development Pipeline 2026 in Ōtautahi Christchurch kindly hosted by Aurecon.

At this showcase event we  get to learn interesting projects that are underway or in planning in each major metro. Our aim is to make sure we showcase best practice in housing, any significant enabling infrastructure or community amenity, innovative adaptive reuse/ regeneration projects, and successful mixed-use developments etc. Each Project team will present their project.

This offers well-deserved recognition for the achievements of the project and educates others on what is possible, with an ancillary benefit being the valuable connections across the sector from such event enhancing future collaboration within the urban development sector.

UDINZ members attend free of charge and prospective members (those who we’re talking to about membership who have been provided with a special registration code) at a cost of $150/pp and non members $200/pp

Join your colleagues from across the sector at this popular event.

UDINZ L&D Offering:

UDINZ Subscription Service.

Subscribe HERE

Did you miss one of our Webinars?

🚀 Unlock relevant learning & development content for yourself or your team through our new UDINZ Subscription Service #SubUrbDev.

Gain access to pre-recorded on-demand webinars with industry experts, thought leaders, and innovators on topics of interest to the sector, to watch at your leisure.

Discounted access for individuals working for UDINZ Member organisations.

“Watch party” option for use in a group training session context (saves you all the effort of having to organise a speaker)

Subscription options:

UDINZ Member;
> Individual that is an employee of a UDINZ Member* - $20.00 per person (7 days access only)
> "Watch Party" for a UDINZ Member*  - $200.00 for “broadcast” at your group training session (available for your designated scheduled date)

Non-member;
> Non-member Individual - $100.00 per person (7 days access only)
> Non member "Watch Party" - $500.00 for “broadcast” at your group training session (available for your designated scheduled date)

*Employer details/membership number do need to be provided and email addresses provided must align.

Please note that for UDINZ Members (who are already supporting the organisations efforts – though annual membership fees) access is provided at a discounted fee level that seeks only to cover our administrative and licensing costs. Other subscription options look to recoup a fee for the time our staff put into curating relevant issues, advertising and delivering events and in the case of the watch party the administrative support required for liaising with you and your technical support team around enabling access for a specific date and time.

For any queries please email info@udinz.nz. Payment must be provided via this portal before content links will be provided.

UDINZ L&D Offering:

Water NZ Digital Badges

UDINZ has done a deal with Water NZ, so confirmed UDINZ members can access Water NZ Digital Badges at a 15% discount on market rates. If you’re interested in registering for any of the Water NZ Digital Badges you can register your interest here: 

Water New Zealand Digital Badges (office.com)

Please note : You register and then Water NZ will confirm with us that the person registering is employed by a UDINZ member.

In return we’ll be making our Decipering Development course available to their members at our member rates. A win win for both organisations! 

UDINZ L&D Offering:

NZGBC's Green Star Rating

We are seeking Expressions of Interest on our newest UDINZ Learning & Development Offering. A course to be delivered for us by NZGBC on their Green Star Rating. 

Let us know at the link below if you and/or your organisation would be interested in attending this course and where in the country you are located (or would be willing to travel to). Date and time will be confirmed once the course minimum is achieved.

This course will help participants better understand Green Star, build your knowledge on managing risk from the tendering stage through construction, and managing documentation for compliance. It will explore the delivery-centric credits often managed by those on the tools and also take a deep dive into sourcing and tracking sustainable and responsible materials, as well as specific credits including Exposure to Toxins.

You will learn how construction materials must be vetted for compliance against VOC and formaldehyde content, and the benefit of materials with higher consideration to environmental sustainability.

The course will also look at onsite practices including managing waste and compliant construction practices.

You'll take away hints and tips from past projects and how to ensure the best assessment outcomes. With increasing interest from the finance sector in supporting green, sustainable building projects, this could also help with your cost of finance!

This is a great way to add a competitive advantage to your bids and tenders. 

Presenters include:

• Ben Cannon, Sustainability Manager

• Clare Gallagher, National Sustainability Manager

• Joe Quad, Manager - Buildings and Communities

Click HERE to Express your Interest.

UDINZ L&D OFFERING:

Deciphering Development for Professionals Course

Contact us to discuss delivery of this course (it will be delivered periodically as a public course based on interest but is also available privately)

Register your interest for future course date please fill out the form at the link and we will be in touch: https://forms.gle/BpRCDSJ2QjSg8iad8

Objective:
Add value to professionals current expertise.
Educate those in consulting and contracting an appreciation for the development process with a view to improving relationships and understanding each other’s perspective in delivering world class residential property development projects.
Create improvement, consistency and collaboration in property development.

Audience:
This is a professional development course for those working in the architecture, engineering, construction and real estate sectors, and who wish to understand how property developer clients think and act. Held as an interactive workshop, attendees will gain an understanding of the fundamentals of property development and how successful projects are created and delivered by property developers.

Facilitated by:
The course is facilitated by Andrew Crosby with other guest speakers included from time to time.

We have secured a potential host for this course in the coming monthl and will confirm the course is proceeding once we have sufficient registered attendees.