Standardised plan content for district land use plans

Standardised plan content provides a nationally consistent set of planning provisions that councils will use when preparing land use plans and other planning instruments, including natural environment plans and spatial planning components.

This may include objectives, policies, rules, methods and requirements contained in zones, overlays and district-wide rules. Once finalised, national standards will set out requirements for the content of land use plans. The intent is to reduce unnecessary variation between plans and make the planning system easier to understand and use. Councils may also be able to include bespoke provisions where national instruments allow this, or do not prevent it.

How standardised plan content differs from the RMA

Under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA), councils developed their own plan structures, zones, provisions and terminology, with some standardisation provided through national planning standards. This resulted in a high number of zones and zone rules across Aotearoa New Zealand.

The new system uses national standards to provide more nationally standardised content, nationally consistent methodologies for identifying matters such as outstanding natural features, and a nationally consistent plan structure across the country.

Who does standardised plan content affect in practice

Standardised plan content affects:

• councils preparing plans
• planners and planning consultants
• iwi/Māori participating in planning processes
• end users such as developers and infrastructure providers
• system users who rely on planning documents.

Practitioners will need to understand:

• what content is nationally standardised
• what decisions remain locally determined
• where and how councils may use discretion to address specific place-based needs.

What is happening next

Developing standardised plan content

Standardised plan content is currently being developed, including a nationally standardised set of zones. Council planners and other experts are contributing through working groups to help shape the content. Councils and practitioners should keep up to date with new information as it becomes available and take part in future engagement opportunities.

People will have opportunities to provide feedback during the statutory consultation process in 2027. The national standards for standardised plan content must be gazetted within 21 months of the Planning Act being enacted.

Digital systems and data standards

Standardised plan content will work alongside future digital planning and data standards.

As the system develops, we will provide additional information about digital requirements, data standards and supporting tools.