The Property Council says a new government housing programme is a milestone in addressing Auckland's housing crisis.

Housing Minister Nick Smith has unveiled four vacant Crown sites, on which he says up to 600 new homes could be built.

Property Council chief executive Connal Townsend says the announcement is a clear testament to the government's commitment to addressing the housing issue.

And he says at the same it demonstrates the government's need for fiscal control for the whole country.

"That's just the impact of a potential bubble sort of bursting in residential property in Auckland, so I think a programme of releasing Crown land is a really useful tool."