MEMBER-ONLY CONTENT
If you joined us for our recent advocacy webinar, you’ll know one thing for sure: the reform agenda facing our sector is nothing short of seismic (sometimes literally!).
We covered a lot of ground and while we’ve already been busy shaping the direction of reform, the real work now lies ahead in implementation, refinement, and pressure-testing what these changes mean on the ground.
Property Council’s advocacy team represents the full property ecosystem. That breadth matters.
Where others are siloed, our approach is whole-of-sector, practical, and solutions-focused. We engage early, work constructively across political lines, and advocate consistently for outcomes that support viable development and long-term, sustainable growth.
Three major workstreams will dominate our advocacy in 2026:
While submissions have recently been made, the journey is far from over.
Seismic reform: from policy to practice
Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Bill
Members have been clear: the current system needs to be more proportionate, risk-based, and practical. Our Seismic Strengthening Taskforce has helped from Property Council’s recent submission on the Bill, and while members are broadly supportive of the direction of reform, there are important details still to get right.
Our submission supports:
- Limiting regulation to medium and high seismic zones
- Removing earthquake ratings, including the NBS% system
- Narrowing the definition of priority buildings to focus on genuine risk
- Extending the remediation timeframe to 15 years, reflecting commercial and practical realities.
As further guidance emerges and the new seismic methodology is expected Quarter 4 of 2026, our advocacy will focus squarely on implementation and clarity.
RMA reform: implementation will make or break it
In our recent submission on the Planning Bill & Natural Environment Bill, Property Council strongly supported the Government’s intent to overhaul the Resource Management system. Our focus now is ensuring the transition is workable and that the new system delivers on its promise and intentions.
Our submission supports:
- A clear division between development enablement and environmental protection
- A more nationally directed, standardised, outcomes-focused planning system
- Higher effect thresholds, clearer national rules, and reduced notification
- The introduction of a Planning Tribunal
However, we raised concerns about:
- Transition and implementation – we need clear timeframes, lots of certainty and capability enabled early.
- Drafting the national rules to ensure long term certainty for the sector with less fluctuation of high-level instruments through a cross-party consensus.
- Introducing an independent performance monitoring body with real consequences for missed timeframes, and safeguards against abuse of RFIs and clock-stopping practices.
The Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill are designed to operate as one integrated system. In 2026, our advocacy will be firmly focused on sequencing, national direction, and implementation, because this is where success or failure will be determined.
Development levies: a long road ahead
Development Levies exposure draft
Development levies are shaping up to be one of the most consequential and concerning reforms for our sector. While the intent is to improve certainty and enable infrastructure delivery, the exposure draft raises serious red flags for members.
Key concerns outlined in our submission include:
- Aggregation of growth costs and removal of causal nexus
- Quarterly interest on deferred levy payments
- Weak financial discipline and safeguards
- Large levy areas increasing cross-subsidisation, particularly impacting brownfield and infill development
- Significant transition and implementation risks
We’ve engaged directly with DIA and MHUD, and our submission is informed by extensive member feedback, soon to be submitted on Friday 20 February. Importantly, this is not the end of the conversation. With a second round of consultation expected mid-to-late 2026, we are investing heavily now in evidence-based advocacy. Working alongside Veros, we are developing a road-testing tool to model levy outcomes, test assumptions, and assess cross-subsidisation risks using real regional data. Other members are looking at undertaking research into how development levy costs impact house prices.
Member involvement is critical to this work, and we still need some help. If you want to hear more, get in touch.
Looking ahead
Across all three reform areas, the theme for 2026 is clear: implementation matters. Submissions set direction, but sustained, practical advocacy is what turns reform into real-world outcomes.
If you’d like a deeper dive into any of these workstreams, you can watch the webinar recording below. Make sure you are logged in as a member to view.
And as always, we encourage members to stay engaged because our strongest advocacy is built on your insight, experience, and voice.
This webinar is completely free for all Property Council members and their employees. Please note: As this is a member-only event, you will need to be logged in as a member to view. For further instructions on how to reset your password and login, click here.