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 | Date | Reasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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for the correct assessment of subdivision applications, and will improve efficiency and reduce disputes by removing outdated definitions and references to the expired Code of Practice for Land Development and Subdivision Infrastructure.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. |