The new Planning Act and Natural Environment Act have received Royal assent, formally beginning the transition away from the Resource Management Act 1991 and towards a substantially different national planning system.
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop said the legislation establishes the legal foundation for a system intended to make it easier to build homes and infrastructure, develop renewable energy and support food and fibre production, while changing how environmental protections and planning decisions are administered.
“The replacement of the Resource Management Act 1991 represents a significant shift in fixing the basics of how New Zealand manages its land and environment and plans for future development, unlocking economic growth,” Bishop said.
Under the new framework, more major planning decisions will be made at national and regional level before individual development proposals reach the consenting stage.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary Simon Court said national policy direction, consistent national standards and long-term regional spatial planning would provide greater certainty over where development can occur, what environmental features require protection and which rules apply.
“The intention is to resolve big questions once, at the right level, rather than relitigating them plan by plan and consent by consent,” Court said. “A developer should not face different planning rules each time they cross a council boundary.”
Each region is ultimately expected to operate under a combined regional plan incorporating a regional spatial plan, natural environment plan and individual district land-use plans.
Regional spatial plans will look at development over periods of 30 years or longer, coordinating decisions involving housing, commercial development, infrastructure, natural hazards, environmental constraints and major investment.
Royal assent also shifts the Government’s reform programme into its implementation phase, although the existing RMA system will continue operating during the transition.
Councils will continue processing resource consents and undertaking compliance and enforcement work under the RMA while preparing for the new regional planning framework and national policy direction.
The first practical changes are scheduled to take effect one month after Royal assent, when transitional consenting arrangements begin. The Government says these measures are intended to minimise disruption while allowing parts of the new regime to operate before the full system is established.
A new Planning Tribunal is scheduled to begin operating in 2027 as a division of the Environment Court. It will primarily deal with lower-level disputes involving resource consents and designations and replace existing council-led objection procedures.
The Government is also planning a significant overhaul of planning information and digital infrastructure, including regional e-plans, shared digital tools and more consistent national planning data.
A new central information website, planning.govt.nz, has been launched to provide information about the transition, implementation milestones and guidance for councils, planning professionals, businesses and the public.
The next stage includes consultation on the Government’s illustrative National Policy Direction, with feedback open until 16 October. The first National Policy Direction package and standards governing regional spatial plans are expected to be finalised in 2027.
Councils are then expected to notify draft regional spatial plans in 2028, followed by development of the new land-use and natural environment plans. The Government expects the replacement planning system to become fully operational progressively through 2029 and 2030.
“The laws are now in place,” Bishop said. “The job from here is to work with councils, iwi and the wider planning sector to make sure the new system delivers in practice.”
Image credit: Charlie Deets
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