Resource Management Act reform: Councils seek exceptions to mandated planning halt

A district plan review for Whanganui was paused during the council's 2025/26 annual plan process. Photo / NZME

Councils will ask for exceptions to a Government order halting all plan changes to allow what they say is vital urban development work to continue.

This month, the minister responsible for Resource Management Act (RMA) reform, Chris Bishop, said the Government would stop councils “wasting their officers’ time and their ratepayers’ money”, with the RMA to be replaced by two new acts by the end of the year.

“Councils will be required to withdraw plan reviews and changes that have not started hearings as soon as possible and within 90 days of the law coming into effect,” he said.

Whanganui District Council chief executive David Langford said RMA reforms began under the previous Labour Government, and they had “caused a huge amount of inertia across the sector”.

“A couple of years ago, we made the call that we couldn’t keep waiting and waiting,” he said.

“Our district plan was getting old, it was getting in the way of good quality development, and we needed to reset the rulebook.”

He said work was paused in the lead up to this year’s annual plan, which helped the council achieve an average rate rise of 2.2%

The cost of a district plan review was “measured in the millions” of dollars and took years to complete.

One issue being addressed was the prohibition of cabins on the front of residential properties, Langford said.

Last year, Durie Hill couple Rachael and Mike Woodhead received a $750 infringement notice for a front yard cabin.

Aramoho resident Scott Murray received a letter demanding relocation or removal of a cabin on his property in February this year.

Langford said that was one of several miscellaneous changes the council could have a conversation with Bishop about.

“The community is telling us they don’t care, and don’t understand why that (cabin) rule exists - ‘We’ve got a need for housing, come on council, use your common sense’.”

Developers had been invited to a meeting about a month ago, to tell the council what was and was not working with the district plan, he said.

Whanganui District Council chief executive David Langford. photo / NZME

“That would have been the start of that miscellaneous plan change, where we propose a few streamlining tweaks and cut some red tape and make it easier to develop while we wait the full reset of the RMA.

“Hopefully, the minister will support that and give us an exception to just do that little bit.”

A Rangitīkei District Council spokesperson said work was under way on Proposed Plan Change 3.

Its purpose was to ensure urban growth could be accommodated and to potentially provide more scope for urban intensification, they said.

“As a result of the Government’s recent ‘plan stop’ announcement, the council will need to consider whether it wishes to apply for an exemption to continue work.”

Rangitīkei mayor Andy Watson said the council would seek a meeting with Bishop as soon as possible.

“The Government wants to solve the housing issues and we have done considerable work on this,” he said.

“There is an urgent need to address housing issues especially in the bottom half of our district and I see it as a priority to have those discussions.”

A Ruapehu District Council spokesperson said it did not have the budget for district plan changes, and it was awaiting Government guidance.

Bishop said plan reviews and changes would be stopped through an amendment paper to the Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill, which was expected to become law in August.

“Much of [councils’] planning work won’t be completed or implemented by the time the new system takes effect in 2027,” he said.

“Even if it were, it would need significant changes in the next couple of years to comply with the new planning laws.”

Rather than letting “pricey, pointless planning and policy processes play out”, the Government would give councils clarity on where to focus their efforts while they awaited the new planning system, he said.

Langford, who will be leaving the chief executive’s role in October, said the RMA was cumbersome - “a huge piece of legislation”.

“It’s become the domain of planning professionals and lawyers, and neither of them have cheap hourly rates.

“If we can get a simpler system which is easier to understand, and easier and cheaper for councils to administer, our community is going to benefit.”

However, environmental protection - the RMA’s primary function - should not be compromised, he said.

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.