Two new Acts—the Natural Environment Act and the Planning Act—will replace the Resource Management Act (RMA) by the end of 2025, with a bill introduced to Parliament in 2026 and passed before the next election.
The government claims that the reforms will slash compliance and administrative costs by 45 per cent.
Notably, the new Acts will drop the clause requiring adherence to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.
The legislation will be ready in time for councils’ next long-term planning cycles in 2027.
According to RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Undersecretary Simon Court, the new system will be grounded in property rights and will shift the burden of proof: development will be presumed legal unless it significantly harms the environment or neighbouring land use.
Bishop argued the RMA had stifled economic growth and housing development.
Court was more blunt: “We cannot have Tom, Dick, and Harry weaponise the planning system to block progress from the opposite end of the country.”
The reforms echo some of Labour’s earlier proposals, including streamlining consents, setting environmental limits, and allowing more “permitted” activities.
Luxon said separate work led by Minister Tama Potaka will focus on unlocking productivity from Māori land instead.
Bishop also highlighted the need for consistency in zoning rules: “Right now, there are 1,175 different kinds of zones across councils. Japan, by contrast, uses just 13.”
Centrist