Red tape reform on its way

The Government has told regional councils to ease the burden of resource consenting processes, warning that overly complex requirements are stifling economic growth and adding unnecessary costs for farmers and other primary sector operators.

In a letter sent to regional council chairs and chief executives, ministers said they were “concerned” about reports of excessive information requests and restrictive conditions attached to consents.

The Government has signalled its clear intention to replace the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) with a more streamlined system later this year.

The letter was signed by the Minister responsible for RMA Reforms Chris Bishop, Minister for Agriculture Todd McClay and Minister for the Environment Penny Simmonds.

“We expect you to be seeking opportunities to streamline consenting processes, reduce onerous requirements wherever possible, and ease the consenting burden while we get the system changes in place,” the letter stated.

Councils were urged to use discretion within the current RMA framework, including extending consenting timeframes and working with individual applicants on “pragmatic solutions”, until new legislation is introduced.

The letter also highlighted recent changes under the Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Act 2025, including:

• halting costly local plan changes to free up councils for the transition;
• tightening rules around further information requests to make them proportionate;
• and introducing a temporary regulation-making power that allows restrictive plan provisions to be modified or removed if they hinder development or economic activity.

The Government described the changes as part of a “transition plan” toward a new planning framework that will be revealed after legislation is introduced later this year.

“We want to hear from you if you think this power could be used to assist growth and the transition to the new system in your region,” the letter noted.

While ministers stressed the importance of reducing consenting hurdles, they also promised to continue engaging with councils to ensure alignment with the future planning system.