On 10 February 2025, Property Council submitted to the Environment Select Committee on the Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill.
Why this matters to our members
The current resource management system is broken. We want a system that creates efficiencies in the planning system to make it easier to achieve housing growth in New Zealand.
Our view
Property Council supports the objective of the Bill, particularly the intention to create a more streamlined planning system. This will make it easier to consent new houses and implement the Government’s Going for Housing Growth policy to unlock land for housing.
At a high level, we recommended that the Environment Select Committee:
- Urge the Government to set clear expectations for when local government are to complete plan changes;
- Urge the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform to make clear that no further extensions will be granted for local Plan Changes relating to the National Policy Statement on Urban Development and Medium Density Residential Standards;
- Urge the Government to establish clear national direction to avoid any unintended consequences from local government implementation;
- Amend the Bill to define the word ‘significant’ as a high threshold test for natural hazards to ensure that councils cannot impose restrictive conditions on sites to halt development; and
- Amend the Bill to include a process where an applicant can challenge a request for further information by a consent authority.