New planning laws are now in place. The Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions & Transport is publishing guidance, tools and updates on this website as the new planning system is introduced in stages.
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Homeowners and landowners
Find out what the new planning system means for homeowners and landowners, including home projects, consent requirements and regulatory relief.
Overview
Under the new planning system, some everyday home and property projects will be able to go ahead without a consent if they meet the relevant rules and standards. This could include some low-impact home improvements or building work.
The system will use more consistent national rules and standardised zones to make it easier to understand what can happen on a property and what approvals may be needed. Where a consent is still needed, the process is intended to focus on the matters that need to be assessed under the relevant rules and legal tests.
The new system also includes regulatory relief provisions. That means if certain rules have a significant adverse impact on the reasonable use of land, homeowners may be eligible for relief.
What the new planning system means for homeowners and landowners
More consistent rules across the country
Councils will need to follow national policy direction and national standards (including standardised plan provisions) when preparing new plans.
Standardised plan provisions are intended to make planning rules more consistent across most of the country. This should make it easier to compare rules between places and understand what may apply to a property.
National standards may set common zones, overlays, definitions and rules for matters such as building height, site coverage, noise, vibration and sunlight.
More consistent rules may make it easier to use similar plans and designs across different council areas.
Some projects may not need consent
Some low-impact home and property changes may be able to go ahead without a consent if they meet the relevant rules and standards.
This could include some building or renovation work, or work that mainly affects the property itself, such as building layout, balconies or private outdoor space, where the relevant rules allow.
Effects on neighbours or the wider area, such as noise, shading, flood risk, infrastructure capacity, and protected places or features, may still be managed where the rules apply.
Most of these activities fall under the Planning Act.
Subdivision may be simpler in some cases
Subdivision will have a more permissive starting point. Some subdivision may be simpler under the new system, particularly where national standards provide consistency.
More types of subdivision may be enabled through national standards and land use plans, subject to relevant requirements.
There will still be requirements to manage risks such as flooding and other natural hazards, and to consider whether infrastructure such as roads, pipes and other services is available or planned.
More focused consent processes
If you need a consent or permit, the process will focus on the matters that need to be assessed under the relevant rules. This may mean:
- applicants should have clearer guidance about the information they need to provide
- councils will focus on effects and matters that are covered by the relevant rules and legislation
- people may be notified where they are materially affected and the relevant threshold for adverse effects is met
- public notification will happen where the relevant threshold for adverse effects is met, or where a rule or other statutory requirement requires it
- a new Planning Tribunal will be able to consider specified disputes, such as some disputes about information requests, notification decisions, and consent conditions.
Protecting significant trees
The new system will provide a more consistent approach to identifying and protecting trees with significant historic heritage values.
The Government may set clear requirements for identifying and protecting these trees through national policy direction and national standards. Councils would then apply those requirements through land use plans.
When councils propose rules to protect trees with significant historic heritage values on private land, they will need to consider what that means for the landowner. Where those rules significantly affect the landowner’s ability to make reasonable use of their land, councils may need to provide relief under the regulatory relief provisions.
Protecting significant historic heritage
Significant historic heritage may continue to be protected through national policy direction, national standards and land use plans.
National standards may set clear criteria and thresholds for identifying and protecting heritage buildings, places, areas and features. These rules may affect what work can be done without a consent, and when a consent is needed.
When councils propose rules to protect heritage sites or places of significant historic heritage on private land, they will need to consider what that means for the landowner. Where the rules significantly affect the landowner's ability to make reasonable use of their land, councils may need to provide relief under the regulatory relief provisions.
Relief where rules affect land use
The regulatory relief provisions may also apply when councils introduce rules to protect other places, such as outstanding natural landscapes and features, sites of significance to Māori, high natural character areas, or identifiable areas of land-based indigenous biodiversity.
Where the requirements apply, councils may need to provide relief to eligible landowners through a relief framework in the relevant plan. Relief could include monetary payments, rate or fee reductions, extra development rights, land swaps or targeted grants. Landowners may also be able to ask the council to review how the relief framework has been applied to their property.
See regulatory relief and property rights.
What happens next
The new planning system will be introduced in stages. Existing RMA plans, consents and council processes will continue during the transition. Before starting work on a property, homeowners should continue to check the rules that apply in their local council area.
A transitional consenting framework will apply before the full system is in place. This will introduce some changes to consent and notices of requirement processes while existing RMA plans continue to apply.
Existing RMA resource consents will be treated as planning consents, natural resource permits, or both under the new system, depending on what they authorise. Some existing consents may also be extended under the transitional provisions.
Over time, new national policy direction, standards and regional combined plans will set out more detail about what activities can happen, and what requirements apply to subdivision and other property changes.
We will add more information over time, including guidance on what to check before making changes to a property.