National direction changes that affect consenting

About the National Direction changes

The National Direction programme made targeted changes to 12 existing national direction instruments and introduced four new instruments under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA).

The changes covered priority areas including housing, infrastructure, primary production and environmental management.

The changes were introduced between January and October 2026 to make the resource management system clearer, more consistent and easier to use while the new planning system is being developed.

Consultation was also carried out on two existing freshwater national direction instruments, as well as national housing and urban policy. This work informed the development of the new planning system.

Why these changes were made

The changes gave councils, applicants, practitioners and communities clearer and nationally consistent direction for specific activities. They are intended to help councils process relevant consent applications more efficiently, while keeping environmental safeguards in place.

The programme supports the transition from the RMA to the new planning system by delivering targeted improvements sooner, supporting continuity during reform, and helping shape future national standards and limits. The new National Direction changes will continue to apply during the transition to the new planning system.

How they apply

Councils must apply the new National Direction changes from the relevant commencement dates and update their consenting, compliance and enforcement processes. Councils will need to:

apply the changes from their commencement dates when processing resource consent applications and making other relevant RMA decisions
update consenting, compliance and enforcement processes, including staff guidance, templates, checklists and public information where required
update plans where required, including removing provisions that duplicate or conflict with national environmental standards. Plan changes to implement national policy statements may be restricted by the RMA Plan Stop.
continue applying relevant local rules where these are not replaced by national direction or where more lenient or stringent rules are expressly allowed
coordinate across council functions and with stakeholders, including iwi, Māori, infrastructure providers and affected sectors, to support consistent and effective implementation.

More information

The table below links to all the factsheets explaining the changes to RMA National Direction. Other existing national direction instruments under the RMA not amended by the National Direction programme still apply.

National direction instruments	In force from	Changes made to instruments
New national direction instruments
New National Environmental Standards for Detached Minor Residential Units (PDF 252KB)	15 January 2026 Minor amendment in force from 11 September 2026	Enables one detached minor dwelling of up to 70 m² per site without resource consent, where standards are met.
New National Policy Statement for Infrastructure (PDF 239KB)	15 January 2026	Recognises infrastructure as nationally significant and supports efficient development, operation, maintenance and upgrades.
New National Policy Statement for Natural Hazards (PDF 226KB)	15 January 2026	Creates a nationally consistent, risk-based framework for managing natural hazard risks in new developments.
New National Environmental Standards for Papakāinga (PDF 326KB)	2 July 2026	Enables up to 10 papakāinga homes on eligible Māori land as a permitted activity, with streamlined consent pathways for larger developments.
Amended national direction instruments
Amendments to quarrying and mining provisions (PDF 250 KB) in: National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity 2023 National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land 2022 National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Freshwater) Regulations 2020	15 January 2026	Provides more consistent, enabling pathways for quarrying, mining and supporting infrastructure, while retaining environmental safeguards.
Amendments to National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land 2022 (PDF 218KB)	15 January 2026	Exempts urban development and rezoning on Land Use Capability (LUC) 3 land from NPS-HPL restrictions to support housing supply while protecting higher-value productive land.
Amendments to National Policy Statement for Renewable Electricity Generation 2011 (PDF 229KB)	15 January 2026	Gives stronger national support for renewable electricity projects and reduces consenting barriers while recognising Māori interests.
Amendments to National Policy Statement on Electricity Transmission 2008 (renamed to National Policy Statement for Electricity Networks) (PDF 228KB)	15 January 2026	Expands the NPS into a broader electricity networks framework, supporting efficient network development, maintenance and upgrades.
Amendments to New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2010 (PDF 229KB)	15 January 2026	Gives greater weight to nationally important coastal activities while continuing to protect coastal values and maintain environmental safeguards.
Amendments to Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Electricity Transmission Activities) Regulations 2009 – electric vehicle charging infrastructure (PDF 339KB)	7 May 2026	Creates nationally consistent permitted activity rules for EV charging infrastructure to support faster rollout. Further subsequent changes were made to the NES-ETA later in 2026 (see below).
Amendments to Resource Management (Stock Exclusion) Regulations 2020 (PDF 286KB)	7 May 2026	Narrows stock exclusion requirements for some beef cattle and deer, while retaining requirements for higher-risk stock and grazing activities.
Amendments to Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Marine Aquaculture) Regulations 2020 (PDF 403KB)	4 June 2026 Minor amendment in force from 8 October 2026	Streamlines reconsenting and supports more flexible, innovative aquaculture operations while maintaining environmental safeguards.
Amendments to Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry) Regulations 2017 (PDF 376KB)	4 June 2026	Improves consistency and reduces compliance costs by focusing requirements on higher-risk forestry activities.
Amendments to Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Electricity Transmission Activities) Regulations 2009 (renamed National Environmental Standards for Electricity Network Activities) (PDF 299KB)	8 October 2026	Renames, updates and expands the scope of the NES, creating national rules for transmission and distribution in the electricity network (including previous amendments for EV charging infrastructure) and enabling more routine maintenance and upgrades while maintaining safeguards.
Amendments to Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Telecommunication Facilities) Regulations 2016 (PDF 305KB)	8 October 2026	Updates telecommunication facility standards to enable faster infrastructure rollout while retaining local protections for sensitive areas.

More information about individual national direction instruments is available on the Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport's Environment website.

Changes to the RMA

Changes to the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) system will be introduced in stages as Aotearoa New Zealand transitions to the new planning system.

Transitional consenting implementation training and events

Find out about training and events to support implementation.