Planning Act 2026

The purpose of the Planning Act is to provide for the enjoyment of land by establishing a framework for planning and regulating the use and development of land.

Goals in the Act set out what the system must achieve and what can be regulated. The Planning Act’s goals are to:  

• ensure that land use does not unreasonably affect others, including by separating incompatible land uses 
• support and enable economic growth and change by enabling the use and development of land 
• create well-functioning urban and rural areas 
• enable competitive urban land markets by making land available to create abundant development opportunities for residential and business use 
• enable infrastructure to be provided to meet and respond to current and future demand 
• maintain public access to and along the coastal marine area, lakes and rivers 
• protect from inappropriate development the identified values and characteristics of:   
  • areas of high natural character within the coastal environment, wetlands, lakes and rivers and their margins   
  • outstanding natural features and landscapes   
  • significant historic heritage 
• safeguard against natural hazard risks that arise from or affect the use or development of land   
• provide for Māori interests through:   
  • Māori participation in the development of national instruments, regional spatial plans, and land use plans   
  • the identification and protection of sites of significance to Māori (including, wāhi tapu, water bodies, or sites in or on the coastal marine area)   
  • enabling the development and protection of identified Māori land.  

Learn more about what the Planning Act means for people, communities and businesses, and how it will be introduced over time.

See the planning website.