Insight / Environment & Planning Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill: Key Select Committee Changes New Zealand’s resource management reforms have taken another significant step forward, with the Planning Bill (PB) and Natural Environment Bill (NEB) now reported back by the Environment Select Committee. Read more
Insight / Environment & Planning New regulations making papakāinga developments easier New national papakāinga rules are now in force, creating a more consistent planning pathway for housing and related activities on Māori ancestral land. This article outlines where the new rules apply, what development may be permitted, and where resource consent may still be required. Read more
Insight / Environment & Planning Public Works Amendment Bill aims to modernise how government works The Public Works Amendment Bill proposes major changes to how land is acquired and compensated for public infrastructure. With new incentive payments, streamlined acquisition processes, and reduced objection rights, these reforms could significantly affect landowners and project delivery. Here’s what you need to know. Read more
Insight / Environment & Planning No paper road too remote: what will impact of latest Court of Appeal decision be? Last week, the New Zealand Court of Appeal handed down a significant judgment in Ours Not Mines Ltd v Hauraki District Council that has implications for how councils, landowners, developers and recreationalists think about the country's vast 55,000 kilometre-long network of unformed - or "paper" - roads. Read more
Insight / Environment & Planning Good standards need good data: exploring the PCE’s review of the LUC system In December 2025, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) published a detailed review of the Land Use Capability (LUC) system and how it is used across a range of regulatory instruments. The headline finding is that the LUC system has real limitations that make it a poor fit for the regulatory work it is increasingly being asked to do. However, the report's implications reach well beyond the LUC system itself and are worth paying attention to as New Zealand's resource management framework is reshaped. Read more
Insight / Environment & Planning National Policy Statement for Natural Hazards (NPS-NH): what you need to know New Zealand communities, including the places people live, their property and supporting infrastructure, have been (and continue to be) developed in locations or in ways which mean they are at high risk from natural hazards. Cyclones, flooding and slips keep delivering the same message – the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) has not delivered acceptable natural hazard management outcomes. Read more
