Land Use and Land Development Reform

Sweeping changes have been heralded to the Resource Management Act.

The details are yet to come. However, in summary;

The RMA is being replaced with two new Acts; The Planning Act and the Natural Environment Act. The Planning Act will focus on land-use planning and regulation, whilst the Natural Environment Act will focus on the use, protection and enhancement of the natural environment.

Each new Act will be supported by a national direction and nationally standardized land-use zones will be introduced, intended to focus policies at a national level.

The Government aims to introduce Bills in late 2025 and pass Bills into law in mid-2026. The Select Committee process is stated to be the main mechanism for public consultation.

More recent announcements by the Government regarding enabling ‘granny flats’ or small standalone dwellings will effect change to the Building Act and local District Plans to allow these building consent exemptions to occur.

In the meantime, existing planning, land use and development controls remain in effect. For all your land development planning, surveying and engineering requirements, get in touch with one of our local offices via www.birch.nz or 0508 424 724