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

2 September 2025

Tasman District Council is asking the Minister for the Environment 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 WCO, gazetted in 2023, is the first in New Zealand to focus primarily on groundwater and requires measurable improvements in water quality by 2038.

Read more

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

10 October 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 Council is currently waiting for a decision from the Minister.

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.