New law targets housing, infrastructure and farming bottlenecks

The Government’s second RMA Amendment Bill – formally titled the Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill – has passed into law, ushering in wide-ranging changes aimed at removing developmental roadblocks and fuelling economic activity.

RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop said the bill addressed longstanding “handbrakes on New Zealanders’ lives” by making it easier to deliver houses, infrastructure, clean energy and other vital projects.

The new law is structured around five key reform areas, and will streamline consenting across:

  • Housing, including a faster process for removing heritage protections.
  • Infrastructure and renewable energy.
  • Farming and the primary sector.
  • Emergency response and natural hazards.
  • Broader improvements to the resource management system.

 

To ensure a smooth transition to the new planning system set to be in place by 2027, the law prohibits councils from making RMA plan changes in the interim, except for priority-aligned work or natural hazard responses.

It also gives the responsible minister the power to recommend changes – or even remove parts – of council RMA plans that are judged to be impeding economic growth or job creation.

 

Three-phase overhaul

This bill is the second phase of a three-stage RMA reform programme.

Phase one – repealing overly complex previous amendments – has already passed. Phase two features both the fast-track, one-stop shop for consents and this second amendment bill. Phase three will see the RMA’s full replacement with two new laws better aligned with property-rights protection – expected to be introduced later this year, passed next year and operative by about 2027.

“The Resource Management Act has been holding New Zealand back for decades. It has let successive governments and councils say ‘no’ to progress, ‘no’ to development, and ‘no’ to building the houses, infrastructure, clean energy and other important projects that New Zealanders need to get ahead,” Minister Bishop said.

 

 


Published: 24/8/2025
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