Resource Management changes bring local opportunities and safeguards

9 December, 2025

The new Resource Management Framework could provide the balance Councils like Tasman District Council have been seeking to cope with the challenges it faces as a high growth council.

"These reforms are an important step toward a more consistent, capable and solutions focused resource management system for our region and for New Zealand as a whole”, said Tasman Mayor Tim King.

“As a unitary authority, we welcome a framework that makes it clearer what is expected of councils, communities and developers, and that gives people greater confidence that decisions are being made in a joined up way across the country. This will enable people to make those important life decisions like housing and investment with greater certainty.

“Moving to a single set of national policy directions, backed by national standards and standardised zones and activities, will reduce the current complexity and inconsistency that exists between different plans and districts which is a very important factor for both developers and homeowners.

“Fewer, combined e plans, supported by long term spatial planning, will help us focus on the big strategic choices about where growth goes, how we protect what matters, and how we manage natural hazards and environmental limits.

“The shift to a fully digital planning and consenting system, alongside central government investment in local government capability and new institutions such as the Planning Tribunal, gives us confidence that councils will be supported through the transition, not left to shoulder it alone.

“Just as important is the culture change that the new legislation seeks to drive, with clear principles around timeliness, proportionality, plain language and being solutions focused. We certainly look forward to taking on a greater enabling role in the future of our District.

“Concentrating regulation on genuinely significant effects, and simplifying consent and notification processes, the system should make it easier to deliver much needed housing and infrastructure while still protecting the environment and upholding Treaty settlements and iwi interests.

“For our community, that means more certainty, more transparency and, over time, better environmental and development outcomes.”

Environmental Policy workstreams update

In considering the timeframe for changes to New Zealand’s environmental legislation Council's Strategy and Policy Committee adopted a short-term workstream focus approach to maintain progress for five key Environmental Policy workstreams.

The short-term focus environmental workstreams are: Urban Growth, Natural Hazards, Freshwater, Outstanding Natural Landscapes and Features and Coastal.

October 2025

The Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Act 2025 became law in August and introduced a "Plan Stop" directive on councils progressing with most plan changes and plan reviews until the new resource management system is fully implemented. This is expected to be by the end of 2027. This stop aims to avoid councils spending resources on planning work that may be overtaken by the forthcoming new legislation.

The "Plan Stop" directive has prevented Council from notifying two significant changes to the Tasman Resource Management Plan. The changes address the urgent need for more housing and business land capacity and support the Te Waikoropupū Water Conservation Order. This has led to the Council seeking exemptions from the Minister for the Environment to allow it to proceed with public notification of the plan changes.

Exemption applications

Exemption sought to proceed with WCO related Freshwater Plan Change

The WCO, gazetted in 2023, is the first in New Zealand to focus primarily on groundwater and requires measurable improvements in water quality by 2038.

Update: November 2025

In early September Tasman District Council wrote to the Minister for the Environment requesting them to grant an exemption that would allow notification of a time-sensitive plan change required to support the Water Conservation Order (WCO) for Te Waikoropupū Springs.

The Minister requested further information relating to the plan change in early November. That information was supplied on 14 November, and we are currently waiting to hear whether or not the minister will allow the plan change to be notified.

Read more

Change 1 to the Tasman Regional Policy Statement and Plan Change 81

Update: November 2025

Following the Strategy and Policy Committee's decision on 18 September to proceed with notification of the plan changes, the Council made two requests to the Minister for the Environment for approval to notify PC81. The requests are to seek an exemption to the plan stop directive from the Minister to enable notification and to request from the Minister, the use of the streamlined planning process (SPP). Approval to use the SPP creates an automatic exemption to the plan stop directive.

The requests were submitted in late September 2025. The Minister requested further information relating to the plan change and the use of the SPP in early November. That information was supplied on 10 November, and we are currently waiting to hear whether or not the minister will grant approval to use the SPP.

The proposed changes respond to Tasman’s urgent housing and business land needs, aligning with the Nelson Tasman Future Development Strategy (2022) and the recently adopted Māpua Masterplan (2025).

Read more.

Check back here for updates on progress.