Resource Management Act (RMA) Reform
What is changing
The Government is replacing the Resource Management Act (RMA) with two new laws: the Natural Environment Bill and the Planning Bill. These laws are designed to streamline how land, natural resources, and development are managed across New Zealand. Instead of many different district and regional plans, there will be a single combined regional plan for each region that sets direction on land use, infrastructure, and environmental protection. The aim is to make the system simpler, more consistent, and easier for communities, developers, and councils to use.
What this means for you
One of the biggest changes is that many low-impact activities will no longer need a resource consent. This means less paperwork, lower costs, and faster decisions for things like small-scale building or minor land use changes . However, this also means you will have less say on what someone does on their property, such as your neighbours . At the same time, there will be clearer national rules about what is allowed where, making it easier for people to understand what they can and cannot do on their land.
Protecting the environment
The new system introduces clear, nationally set environmental limits for things like water quality, air pollution, and biodiversity. These limits must be built into regional plans and followed when decisions are made. This is intended to give stronger and more consistent protection for the natural environment across the country.
What it means for councils
Councils will move to working with a single integrated regional plan instead of multiple separate plans. They will apply national standards and direction when making decisions, which should lead to more consistency across the country. Because more activities will be permitted as of right, councils are also likely to process fewer resource consent applications.
Having a say in decisions
People will still be able to have a say on plans and major proposals, but the rules around public notification will change. In general, only activities that have more than minor effects on the environment or on neighbours will need to be publicly notified. This is meant to reduce delays for simple projects, while still allowing public input on proposals that have wider impacts.
You can have a say and make a submission on the New Zealand Parliament website. Closing date for submissions is February 13, 2026.
Our submission
Click here to read our submission