The government wants taller and bigger towers in more of Auckland's city centre.

It has proposed removing height limits for buildings in much of the CBD, and removing other rules about how big and far apart buildings have to be.

The changes were announced in a joint statement between Minister for RMA Reform Chris Bishop, Minister for Auckland Simon Watts and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown.

Bishop said the changes would help to make the most of the recently opened City Rail Link.

"The next step is making sure our planning rules support Auckland to take full advantage of that investment by allowing more people and businesses to locate close to world-class transport infrastructure."

The government commissioned a report earlier this year which recommended several changes, including allowing unlimited building heights across most of the city centre, and removing rules limiting how wide buildings above 28 metres can be.

Under current rules, some parts of the city centre are capped at 72.5m in building height, and others at 35m.

However, things like protected viewshafts, sunlight and wind controls and heritage protections would stay in place.

The report estimated the changes would provide about 17,000 more dwellings in the city, and 20.3 million square metres more floor space.

The report also recommended removing some "non-contributing sites" from the Karangāhape Rd heritage area, including a Mobil petrol station and Wilson Parking lot.

Bishop said Auckland's city centre was already an economic powerhouse, producing around 8% of New Zealand’s gross domestic product, and there was "enormous potential for it to grow further".

Brown said the changes made sense.

"I've consistently said Auckland needs to intensify in the right places. That means enabling more homes and businesses close to rapid transit, jobs and existing infrastructure."

Consultation on the proposals will run for 20 working days from September 18 until October 16.