The Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Act 2025 paused councils’ work on review and change of their RMA plans, but councils may submit an exemption application. Decisions on these applications are published on this page.
| Local authority | Planning Instrument | Decision | Decision date | Reasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Hawke’s Bay District Council | Plan Change 1 to the Central Hawkes Bay District Plan (Part Operative 2024) (PC1) | Approve in full under s80W(2)(b), s80W(2)(d) and s80W(2)(h) | 20 December 2025 | PC1 will rectify the unintended consequences of operative provisions that currently constrain smaller scale renewable generation activities and enable the council to better manage climate change by reducing regulatory barriers to the uptake of smaller scale renewable energy activities. |
| Manawatū District Council | Plan Change E: Feilding Town Centre to the Manawatū District Plan (PCE) | Approve in full under s80W(2)(h) | 20 December 2025 | PCE is intended to increase housing supply and housing choices available to the community, reduces unnecessary regulation, and enables the council to better manage stormwater. |
| Hutt City Council | Proposed District Plan | Approve in full under s80W(2)(a), s80W(2)(b), s80W(2)(d), and s80W(2)(h) | 20 December 2025 |
The Proposed District Plan better enables the council to manage and deliver three waters services, and corrects inefficient and unanticipated outcomes associated with provisions that apply to the Seaview Marina, and other provisions across chapters related to network utilities, transport, contaminated land, hazardous substances, subdivision, earthworks, temporary activities. The strategic direction and objectives related to climate change, natural hazards, urban form and development, and the provisions in the renewable energy generation chapter will enable the council to better manage climate change risks. The provisions related to infrastructure, three waters, hazardous substances, subdivision, some district-wide matters, broad rezoning and zoning provisions, and changes to the notable trees provisions are considered to provide increased certainty for development, support industry growth, enable housing growth and density, remove consenting barriers, protect trees where owners have opted into tree protection, and otherwise ensure that the plan is able to function as an integrated whole. |
| Hamilton City Council | Percival/Ryburn Road Plan Change to the Hamilton City Council Operative District Plan | Approve in full under s80W(2)(f) and s80W(2)(h) | 20 December 2025 | The Percival/Ryburn Road Plan Change aligns with the long-term intention for the area as specified in the Ruakura Structure Plan, will address incompatible land uses in the current plan, and broadly aligns with Government priorities to provide competitive business settings, promote global trade and support infrastructure for growth, as outlined in the Going for Growth strategy. |
| Palmerston North City Council | Plan Change Tahi to the Palmerston North City District Plan | Approve in full under s80W(2)(a), s80W(2)(b), s80W(2)(d) and s80W(2)(h) | 20 December 2025 |
Plan Change Tahi corrects inefficient and incorrect designation provisions, better enables the council to manage and provide for three waters infrastructure, enables the council to provide for flood management and better management of climate change risks. The plan change also secures land for essential public infrastructure, provides greater certainty for infrastructure providers and supports infrastructure required for urban development. |
| Waitaki District Council | Proposed Waitaki District Plan | Approve in full under s80W(2)(a), s80W(2)(b) and s80W(2)(h) | 2 December 2025 | The Proposed Waitaki District Plan will enable more flexible and responsive planning for residential, business, and infrastructure development across a range of zones, including those supporting major employment sectors and unique values that are important for tourism. The exemption would also facilitate updates to designations and infrastructure chapters to better meet current and future needs. |
| Rotorua Lakes Council |
Plan Change 10 – Definitions and Rule Refinements to the Rotorua District Plan (PC10) |
Approve in full under s80W(2)(b) | 2 December 2025 | PC10 will improve the clarity, consistency, and overall usability of the District Plan, and will remove unnecessary compliance barriers and introduce more proportionate consenting pathways, delivering several key benefits like improving housing responsiveness, reducing regulatory burden, enhancing infrastructure enablement, and greater operational efficiency. |
| Palmerston North City Council | Plan Change N to the Palmerston North District Plan (PCN) | Approve in full under s80W(2)(h) | 2 December 2025 | PCN will give effect to national priorities by addressing critically low vacancy rates in key industrial zones, inefficient land-markets, ensuring there is sufficient development capacity in the city to meet expected demand for industrial land, and enabling appropriate urban development adjacent to key transport hubs in Palmerston North. |
| Kawerau District Council | Plan Change 5 – Rezoning for district boundary changes to the Kawerau District Plan (PC5) | Approve in full under s80W(2)(b) and s80W(2)(h) | 2 December 2025 | PC5 will rectify existing inaccuracies and unworkable provisions in the plan, aligns with government priorities by promoting regional economic development on both industrial and Māori owned land, and is essential for the timely finalisation of the district boundary reorganisation between Kawerau and Whakatāne. |
| Hamilton City Council | Plan Change 20 – Rototuna Structure Plan to the Hamilton City Operative District Plan (PC20) | Approve in full under s80W(2)(a), s80W(2)(b) and s80W(2)(h) | 2 December 2025 | PC20 will remove barriers to development (including through providing stormwater infrastructure), reduce unnecessary costs, and provide clarity and certainty for Hamilton City Council, developers, infrastructure providers, and the community. PC20 also aligns with Government priorities related to urban development, and in particular, enabling well-functioning urban environments. |
| Taupō District Council | Plan Change 49 to the Taupō District Plan (PC49) | Approve in full under s80W(2)(b) | 27 November 2025 | PC49 corrects several errors that have been identified following the last bundle of plan changes to the Taupō District Plan, and will deliver more efficiencies, and rectify provisions that are unworkable, or have unintended consequences. |
| Taupō District Council | Plan Change 48 to the Taupō District Plan (PC48) | Approve in full under s80W(2)(a), s80W(2)(b) and s80W(2)(h) | 27 November 2025 | PC48 will allow the council to provide for water infrastructure and meet its obligations under the Water Services Act 2021, correct inaccuracies in existing designations in the Taupō District Plan, and aligns with the Going for Growth strategy, which encourages infrastructure for growth. |
| Taupō District Council | Plan Change 47 to the Taupō District Plan (PC47) | Approve in full under s80W(2)(h) | 27 November 2025 | PC47 is consistent with National Planning Standards, better enables residential and commercial activity to occur, aligns with the Government’s Going for Housing Growth strategy, and will provide for more productive uses of Māori land. |
| Taupō District Council | Plan Change 46 to the Taupō District Plan (PC46) | Decline in full | 27 November 2025 | Considered PC46 as a whole with PC44 and PC45, based on the Council’s stated position that all the provisions are intrinsically linked, and not satisfied that PC46 meets the criteria under s80W(2)(h) of the Act. |
| Taupō District Council | Plan Change 45 to the Taupō District Plan (PC45) | Approve in part under s80W(2)(h) | 27 November 2025 |
The part of PC45 which can proceed is the proposed changes to planning maps to upzone land for commercial development. The remainder of PC45 has been considered together with PC44 and PC46, and is not approved to continue as it is likely to restrict development opportunities through adding uncertainty to the District Plan. This uncertainty arises by including terms like amenity and character which are not well defined, making it unclear when these matters have or have not been achieved. |
| Taupō District Council | Plan Change 44 to the Taupō District Plan (PC44) | Approve in part under s80W(2)(h) | 27 November 2025 |
The part of PC44 which can proceed is the proposed changes to planning maps, to upzone land for residential development. The remainder of PC44 has been considered together with PC45 and PC46, and is not approved to continue as it is likely to restrict development opportunities by adding uncertainty through the use of terms such as amenity and character in most objectives of the chapter, and introducing opportunities for council discretion on matters such as the external appearance of comprehensive housing developments, or the privacy between units in comprehensive housing units. |
| Auckland Council | Plan Change 113 to the Auckland Unitary Plan (PC113) | Decline in full | 23 November 2025 | Not satisfied that PC113 meets the criteria under s80W(2)(h) of the Act, as the impacts of PC113 are inconsistent with the Government’s intentions for a resource management system with “less red tape” that is premised on the enjoyment of property rights. |
| Rangitīkei District Council | Plan Change 3 – Urban Growth to the Operative Rangitīkei District Plan 2013 (PC3) | Approve in full under s80W(2)(b) and s80W(2)(h) | 23 November 2025 | PC3 will remove any unnecessary barriers, and identify sufficient land to ensure that land supply can meet urban housing demand going forward and provide for more intensive development. |
| Auckland Council | Plan Modification 16 (Helipads) to Auckland Council District Plan – Hauraki Gulf Islands section (PM16) | Approve in full under s80W(2)(b) | 23 November 2025 | PM16 clarifies that helipad application considerations include noise and vibration effects, and that decision makers can consider the policy directives of the NZCPS. This clarity will ensure that the scope of consideration for the assessment of effects is not narrower than the provisions allow for. |
| Invercargill City Council | Proposed Housing and Code of Practice Plan Change (PCHCoP) | Approve in full under s80W(2)(b) and s80W(2)(h) | 23 November 2025 | PCHCoP aligns with the Going for Housing Growth Pillar 1 strategy and will allow for the correct assessment of subdivision applications, and will improve efficiency and reduce disputes by removing outdated definitions and references to the expired Code of Practice for Land Development and Subdivision Infrastructure. |
| South Taranaki District Council | Plan Change 4 to the Operative District Plan (PC4) | Approve in full under s80W(2)(b) and s80W(2)(h) | 23 November 2025 | PC4 will deliver a strategic framework for high-quality, well-serviced urban growth through an integrated and coordinated development approach, while ensuring fair cost allocation for infrastructure and urban development. |
| Greater Wellington Regional Council | Variation 1 to Plan Change 1 to the Natural Resources Plan for the Wellington Region (V1PC1) | Approve in full under s80W(2)(b) | 4 November 2025 | V1PC1 will correct unintended consequences of Plan Change 1 and thereby reduce uncertainty and time and cost inefficiencies for developers and other plan users. |
| Waipā District Council | Plan Change 25 to the Operative Waipā District Plan (PC25) | Approve in full under s80W(2)(b) | 4 November 2025 | PC25 responds to inefficiencies and unintended consequences within the current Rural Zone rules, which have restricted productive land use, created regulatory burdens, and posed risks to infrastructure. |
| Wellington City Council | Plan Change 1 to the 2024 Wellington City District Plan (PC1) | Approve in full under s80W(2)(a), s80W(2)(b), and s80W(2)(h) | 4 November 2025 | PC1 will enhance the usability and certainty of District Plan provisions, promote development, address directives from the Environment and Infrastructure Committee, correct minor errors not covered by clause 20A, and formally incorporate updated land development and water standards. |
| Palmerston North City Council | Plan Change H Kākātangiata Urban Growth Area to the Palmerston North District Plan (PCH) | Approve in full under s80W(2)(h) | 4 November 2025 | PCH rezones the Kākātangiata urban growth area to recognise and protect the land’s future development potential, while still enabling appropriate land uses that will not compromise the development potential. |
| Hauraki District Council | Proposed Plan Change 2: Waihi; Residential and Industrial Re-zoning (PC2) to the Operative Hauraki District Plan (Hauraki Section) | Approve in full under s80W(2)(h) | 5 October 2025 | PC2 will amend provisions in the Operative Hauraki District Plan that will better enable housing and industry growth in the areas included in the plan change. |
| Auckland Council | Plan Change 116: Amendments to Schedule 14 Historic Heritage Schedule (PC116) to the Auckland Unitary Plan | Approve in full under s80W(2)(b) | 5 October 2025 | PC116 will amend provisions in the Auckland Unitary Plan that, if retained, will result in inefficient outcomes and unnecessary consenting activity where it is known that the heritage values are not sufficient to justify this. |
| Auckland Council | Plan Change 96: Open Space and Other Rezoning Matters (PC96) to the Auckland Unitary Plan | Approve in full under s80W(2)(b) | 14 September 2025 | PC96 delivers more efficient outcomes by allowing the council to rezone recently vested land, rezone land that was incorrectly zoned through a previous plan change, rezone land to enable redevelopment of some sites, and better enable the council to dispose of land parcels that are no longer required. |