The Resource Management Act (RMA) is New Zealand’s main law governing how people use and enjoy our natural and physical resources. It sets the rules for things like air, soil, freshwater, the coastal and marine areas, and how land is used for housing, farming, and infrastructure.

The RMA has been New Zealand’s main environmental law for 35 years. Over time, it’s been changed many times and has become more complicated. A Government-appointed Expert Advisory Group reviewed the Act and found it’s no longer working well.

The review found the current system is slow, costly, confusing, and doesn’t deliver good results for people, the environment, or councils.

The reform aims to:

• simplify the planning process
• reduce costs
• better protect the environment
• support housing and infrastructure development

For more detail, see the Expert Advisory Group’s report on Resource Management Reform on the Ministry for the Environment website.

• One plan for each region.
• Each region will have a spatial plan to show where new development can happen - and where it can’t.
• Fewer rules and consents.
• Standardised zones across the country so zones will have the same rules nationwide, making things more consistent.
• More national direction with new National Policy Statements and Environmental Standards to help guide decisions.
• People will be able to do more on their own land - unless it causes problems beyond their boundary. This is based on the idea of “externalities".

The Government is changing the Resource Management Act (RMA) to make it easier, faster and simpler to get projects approved. The reform is happening in three phases: For more information about the RMA reform, see the Ministry for the Environment’s changes to resource management.

The Government will ask for public feedback on the proposed Planning Act and Natural Environment Act, which are intended to fully replace the RMA as part of phase three.

These new laws are expected to be introduced to Parliament by the end of 2025 and passed into law in 2026.

We won’t know the full details until later this year, but it’s clear the Government wants to move quickly to get the new system up and running.

Many people have heard of the Resource Management Act (RMA), but not everyone knows how it affects their everyday lives.

We all do things that impact the environment – like building houses, clearing vegetation, or taking water from a stream. The RMA helps make sure these activities are managed in a way that protects our environment for future generations.

Councils – whether District, City or Regional – set rules to guide how land and resources are used. These rules help prevent harm to neighbours, communities, and the environment, including our air, water, soil and ecosystems.

The way these rules will change under the new laws is important – and it will affect everyone.

Changes made to the RMA in August 2025 affect what councils can do with their district plans before the new laws are introduced. This is known as a 'plan stop'. You can find out more information about it here.

It means councils may need to pause some planning work - but people can still apply for private plan changes.

To help New Zealand adapt to the impacts of climate change, the Government is creating a National Adaptation Plan.

This plan will sit alongside the Emissions Reduction Plan. Together, they outline how New Zealand will respond to climate change and move towards a zero-carbon, climate-resilient future.

The National Adaptation Plan focuses on the most urgent climate risks identified in New Zealand’s first national climate change risk assessment (done in 2020).

These include risks to:

• coastal ecosystems
• community wellbeing
• drinking water suppliers
• buildings and infrastructure
• and systems that aren’t flexible enough to deal with long-term change and uncertainty.

For more information, see Ministry for the Environment’s National Adaptation Plan.

• MfE - About the Resource Management Act 1991
• MfE - An everyday guide to the RMA
• MfE - Changes to resource management
• MfE - Fast-track Approvals Act
• MfE - Consultation on updating RMA national direction
• MfE - Plan Stop