Birds eye view showing housing in the foreground, land with a lake and coastline in the background

Government unveils major overhaul of New Zealand’s planning system

The Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill will be introduced to Parliament today, with the Government aiming to pass them into law in 2026.

Last updated: 9 December 2025

The Government has announced it will replace the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) with a planning system designed to make it easier to build houses and infrastructure, let farmers and growers get on with doing what they do best, and boost New Zealand’s primary sector, while protecting the environment.

The new planning system is based on a blueprint developed by the Expert Advisory Group on Resource Management Reform.

Read the EAG’s blueprint report.

A major change is the shift to two separate bills that separate land-use planning and natural resource management

The Planning Bill is focused on enabling development and regulating how land is used.

See more about the Planning Bill.

The Natural Environment Bill is focused on managing the impacts from the use of natural resources and protecting the natural environment from harm.

See more about the Natural Environment Bill.

Key features of the new system include:

Fewer effects managed
- Many currently considered effects will be removed from scope, including internal site matters, retail distribution effects, visual amenity, competition impacts and the financial viability of a project.
Fewer consents
- Fewer activity categories, with low-impact activities no longer requiring consent.
More proportionate conditions
- all consent conditions must be necessary and proportionate, reducing red tape.
Fewer plans
- More than 100 existing plans will be reduced to 17 regional combined plans that bring together spatial, land use and natural environment planning in one place, making it easier for New Zealanders to know what they can do with their property.
Spatial planning
- 30-year regional spatial plans to identify growth areas, infrastructure corridors and areas requiring protection.
Faster plan-making:
- plan development time will fall from an average of 6 to 7 years to around 2 years for a regional combined plan.
Standardised zones
- a major reduction from 1,175 bespoke zones to a nationally consistent set decided by central government.
National standards:
- a comprehensive suite of national standards for common activities to reduce costs and speed up consenting.
Regulatory relief
- when imposing significant restrictions, such as heritage protections and significant natural areas, councils must provide practical relief mechanisms.
Clearer consultation requirements
- clarity about who must be consulted and when, including iwi.
Faster conflict resolution
- a new Planning Tribunal to resolve straightforward disputes quickly and at low cost.
Clear environmental limits
- clear limits to support community decision making, improve efficient resource use and reduce unnecessary application costs.
Better, more consistent enforcement
- centralised oversight to ensure consistent and effective enforcement across the country.

National policy direction under the new system will be finalised within nine months of the bills becoming law. Mandatory national standards will be delivered in stages and aligned with council plan-making needs.