Resource management update - December 2025 Twenty-Seventh edition

Kia ora koutou,

Welcome to the final Resource Management Reform Update for 2025.

This issue focusses on a significant milestone for planning and environmental management in New Zealand – the introduction of the Planning and Natural Environment Bills.

The Bills were introduced in Parliament on 9 December 2025. They lay the foundation for a modern, digital planning system that will transform how we manage our environment.

This marks the start of a multi-year transformation programme aimed at delivering significant environmental protections. It will require strong partnerships across the public service, local government, and the private sector.

The detail of the proposed legislation is outlined below.

The Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill also returned to Parliament for its final readings on 10 December and it will become law later this year.

As the lead agency across the planning system reform work, MfE will update you on legislative developments and opportunities to provide feedback as this work progresses.

Ngā mihi nui, nā

Nadeine Dommisse,
Senior Responsible Officer Planning and Environmental System Transformation Programme / Deputy Secretary

This week, the Government has introduced two new Bills to replace the Resource Management Act 1991: 

• The Planning Bill contains the rules for how land can be used and developed.
• The Natural Environment Bill manages the use of natural resources and protecting the environment.

A suite of material on the new system is available on the MfE website, including an overview of the new planning system and fact sheets on what the changes will mean for various sectors. 

The two Bills will now be considered by Select Committee, which will run a process for public feedback, and are expected to be enacted around the middle of 2026.

Key features of the new planning system

• 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.

Transition to the new system

There will be a phased transition to the new planning system, starting with urgent legislation to extend consents either caught up in RMA processes or expiring soon.

The Resource Management (Duration of Consents) Amendment Bill aims to provide certainty to consent holders and ensure they don’t incur unnecessary costs, and will:  

• extend the duration of most resource consents until 2031 with expiry dates two years after the end of the transition period for the new system
• extend resource consents due to retire before the new system comes into effect, for two years until December 2027. 

Consents that have recently expired, where an application for a replacement has been made under not yet determined, will be reinstated and extended until 31 December 2027. New consent applications can still be made during the transition period and will follow an amended RMA process.

The Government consulted from May to July this year on 16 Resource Management Act national direction instruments under four packages: infrastructure and development; primary sector; freshwater; and housing. This new and amended RMA national direction will inform the national direction for the new planning system.

Officials have analysed the feedback and submissions and made recommendations to the responsible ministers.

The release of this first tranche of new or amended RMA national direction is expected before the end of the year. It will include the National Environmental Standards for Detached Minor Residential Units (formerly granny flats), along with several national policy statements, which will come into effect 28 days after being notified.

Cabinet is expected to consider a second tranche – mostly national environmental standards, in the first quarter of 2026.

The Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill returned to Parliament for its final readings on 10 December 2025.

The Bill was introduced to Parliament on 3 November, and included proposals to amend the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 (FTAA) to:

• Clarify grocery retail developments’ eligibility for the Fast-track process
• improve the workability and efficiency of the Fast-track process, and reducing processing timeframes in key areas.

The Bill went to the Environment Select Committee for scrutiny on 6 November. The Committee received almost 2,500 submissions on the Bill. It is expected to pass into law in late 2025.

Read the press release - Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill passes third reading.

The Bill and updates - Fast-track Approvals Amendment Bill.

Grocery retail development proposals - Fast-tracking supermarkets.

Fast-track projects update

Seven development and infrastructure projects have been approved since the Fast-track approvals process opened in February 2025.

The approved projects are:

• Bledisloe North Wharf and Fergusson North Berth Extension
• Maitahi Village
• Milldale – Stages 4C and 10 to 13
• Tekapo Power Scheme – Applications for Replacement Resource Consents
• Drury Metropolitan Centre – Consolidated Stages 1 and 2
• Rangitoopuni

Project information is updated on the Fast-track project page as soon as possible after application checks are complete. 

Substantive and referral application progress

There are 27 substantive applications in progress, 18 of which are before expert panels for consideration.

The Minister for Infrastructure has referred 18 projects, and these now have two years to apply for the substantive stage. Five referred projects have lodged substantive applications.

MfE’s new project name guidance

MfE has issued guidance on naming projects that are applying for referral by the Minister for Infrastructure. The guidance is aimed at ensuring names are concise and relevant to the projects.

Read more - Selecting project names for Fast-track applications.