Changes to the RMA

Changes already in effect

The following changes to the RMA are already in effect.

National direction

In 2026, the Government updated 12 existing national direction instruments and introduced four new ones to guide resource management decisions.

These changes brought forward practical improvements under the RMA, rather than waiting for the new planning system to be fully established. They covered priority areas including housing, infrastructure, primary production and environmental management.

See national direction changes that affect consenting for more information.

Plan Stop

Plan Stop temporarily pauses most council-led changes and reviews of plans and policy statements under the RMA while the new planning system is developed. Some planning work can continue where an automatic or approved exemption applies and accepted private plan changes are not affected. The Planning Act removes automatic exemptions and extends Plan Stop to private plan changes from January 2028. The approved exemption pathway will remain.

See guidance on Plan Stop.

Duration of consents

The Resource Management (Duration of Consents) Amendment Act 2025 extends many resource consents that are expiring or have expired but are still being relied on under section 124 of the RMA until 31 December 2027. This helps consent holders avoid costs and disruption while New Zealand transitions to the new planning system. The Planning Act further extends this period until 24 months after the specified transition date.

See guidance on the Resource Management (Duration of Consents) Amendment Act 2025.

Changes that apply from Royal assent

The following changes to the RMA come into effect immediately after the new legislation receives Royal assent:

• Extension to the duration of expiring resource consents: Clause 17, Schedule 1 of the Planning Bill further extends the duration of resource consents that will expire or have expired but are still being relied on under section 124 of the RMA until 24 months after the specified transition date.
• Amendment to section 107: Consent authorities can grant discharge consents for specified effects that are already occurring, provided consent conditions require those effects to be progressively reduced over time.

Changes that come into effect from late October

Targeted transitional consenting changes

A range of targeted transitional consenting changes allow resource consent applications to continue under a modified RMA while the new planning system is introduced.

The changes cover:

• additional procedural principles (section 18B)
• matters that are out of scope during resource consent processing (section 104).

These changes apply one month after the Planning Bill receives Royal assent. Other elements of transitional consenting, such as initial national standards, will come into effect at a later date.

Changes to the special circumstances test

The special circumstances test for public notification has been removed, so consent authorities no longer need to consider whether special circumstances exist when deciding if an application should be publicly notified. The special circumstances test continues to apply to limited notification.

Changes to some Medium Density Residential Standards

Some parts of the Medium Density Residential Standards relating to outdoor living space, outlook space, windows to the street and landscaped areas have been repealed. During the transition period, these matters are instead dealt with through the new section 104(1A) out-of-scope provisions, which means councils do not need to assess them when processing relevant resource consent applications.

Transitional consenting guidance

Find out more about how consenting will work in the transition to the new system:

• See transitional consenting guidance.