The final draft of Auckland's first ever Unitary Plan will be presented to councillors this morning, and there could be a few surprises.

An independent panel has been working on the 30-year plan for years, and councillors will have just 20 working days to alter or approve it.

It includes zoning maps and planning rules, which determine what can be done or built in different parts of the city.

It is likely to be very different to the first 7000 page draft which the council wrote in 2013.

ACT Leader David Seymour appears to be expecting problems ahead.

"If I was a betting man, looking at the form of Auckland Council and the disgraceful undermining of elected councillors by unelected bureaucrats, I would say that the central government will have to step in."

He said as an Aucklander he hopes they will get it right and it won't be necessary.

Mr Seymour said prospective home buyers have waited too long for a workable solution to Auckland's housing shortage.

"Auckland Council's had five years to do it. The real test will be will they abandon their jihad against the city expanding outwards, so that people can have a patch of their own."

That draft has been subject to two rounds of submissions and a further two years of hearings.

The panel also has to consider evidence suggesting the plan won't allow for the intensification or expansion the city will need to accommodate its growing population.

It's also indicated there might be problems with individual parts of the plan and the way it's been worded and structured.

The Unitary Plan by numbers:

- The Unitary Plan is a book of rules for what can be done and built in 4,894 square kilometre Auckland region

- The submission period lasted 6 months, making it the city's most extensive submission period in history

- An independent hearings panel of 11 people appointed by the Environment Minister and Conservation Minister

- It has been considering a 6961 page proposed plan written by Auckland Council

- It has received 9443 public submissions in the first round of submission and 3951 further submissions in the second round

- A total of 249 public meetings were held and a total of 21,210 pieces of written feedback were received

- The panel considered 1,493,600 separate submission points on the plan, making it an unprecedented process in local government history

- The panel held 249 days of hearings on 70 topics over 21 months

- It sat through over 4000 appearances by submitters and received over 10,000 pieces of evidence

- The panel will justify the final draft with 60 reports of explanations totally about 1000 pages

- The council will have 20 working days to make and publicly notify its decisions about the whole plan, by Friday 19 August

- That includes up to six days of council meetings between Wednesday 10 August to Thursday 18 August

- The final plan will be published on Friday 19 August and the Government is considering legislation to compel councillors to pass the plan

- There will be another 20 working days where people limited rights for people to appeal the plan through the Environment Court or High Court by Friday 16 September

- There is no set operative date for the Unitary Plan