- Hon Chris Bishop
- Simon Court
Parliament has passed urgent legislation extending the duration of thousands of existing resource consents, providing immediate certainty for farmers, businesses and councils while New Zealand transitions to a new planning system, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Under-Secretary Simon Court say.
The Resource Management (Duration of Consents) Amendment Bill, passed this morning, automatically extends affected existing or expired consents to 31 December 2027, allowing operations to continue lawfully while the new system beds in.
"For more than 30 years the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) has held New Zealand back. It has frustrated farmers and agribusinesses, slowed down housing, delayed infrastructure and imposed huge cost and complexity," Mr Bishop says.
"With the new planning system now progressing through Parliament, it simply isn't fair to force people into costly replacement consent processes under the old regime. This Bill gives immediate, practical relief and ensures no one is disadvantaged during the transition.
"Farmers and other consent holders have been staring down significant uncertainty and unnecessary expense, even though the Government has already committed to extending consent durations under the new system. This legislation provides the certainty they need."
Under-Secretary for RMA Reform Simon Court says the temporary extensions align consents with the broader transition already underway.
"We're effectively doing for consents what we've done for council plans through the plan-stop. It prevents wasted time, money and effort on a system that is about to be replaced, while still giving applicants the choice to pursue new consents under smoother transitional processes if they want longer-term certainty," Mr Court says.
"These changes put everyone on an even keel while the new Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill progress through Parliament. Once enacted, those Bills will extend consents to two years past the end of the national transition period, expected to be around 2031, and deliver a modern planning system that supports growth, housing and environmental improvement."
The extensions do not apply where they would push water-related consents beyond 35 years, or to wastewater network consents which remain subject to specific requirements.
The Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill, which together will replace the RMA, will also smooth the transition by ensuring that:
- Existing consent expiry dates will be extended to two years after the end of the transition period for the new system. Based on current expectations, this means most consents will be extended to around 2031.
- New consent applications can still be made during the transition period and will follow a transitional RMA process which includes limits on the test for public notification and the scope of effects that can be considered. It will also include the introduction of some core national standards to provide consent-free activity pathways and procedural principles, such as proportionality, that will have immediate effect.
More information about the new planning system can be found here:
https://environment.govt.nz/news/government-unveils-major-overhaul-of-new-zealands-planning-system
