New Zealand has adopted a radical rezoning plan to cut house prices – could it work in Australia?

Councils won't be able to block townhouses or apartments under a sweeping reform aimed at improving affordability - but will it work? And could the idea cross the Tasman?

New Zealand's cities could be reshaped for decades to come, forcing the long-entrenched dream of the quarter-acre block to the margins, after the government joined forces with the opposition to pass sweeping legislation in favour of housing densification.

In a rare display of cross-party collaboration, Labour and National passed the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) bill - a policy that aims to counter urban sprawl and boost supply by up to 105,000 new homes in the next eight years by forcing councils to loosen restrictions on building in urban areas.