Government seeks feedback on Illustrative National Policy Direction

On 25 August 2026 RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Parliamentary Under-Secretary Simon Court released the Illustrative National Policy Direction (INPD) for public consultation and feedback. The National Policy Direction (NPD) forms a key part of the new legislative framework replacing the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA), sitting below the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill.

Read more

Resource management and local government reform: three more Bills to watch in 2026

Law reform in the resource management and local government space has been moving at a rapid pace this year. In March, we provided you with an update on four new Bills to watch out for. In this article, we take a brief look at three new Bills to keep an eye on.

Read more

Local government amalgamation ultimatum: our 10 takeaways

On 5 May 2026 the RMA Reform and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop and Local Government Minister Simon Watts announced a new "Head Start" pathway enabling councils to propose their own local government reorganisation.

Read more

Rules about discharges – what regional councils need to know

The Environment Court issued its second interim decision on the proposed Waikato Regional Plan Change 1 (PC1) at the end of February in the case of Oji Fibre Solutions (NZ) Limited v Waikato Regional Council [2026] NZEnvC 033.

Read more

Resource management and local government reform: More than two new Bills – other legislative change to watch in 2026

This year is set to be one to remember in terms of resource management reform, with the Planning and Natural Environment Bills (proposed to replace the Resource Management Act 1991) expected to be passed into law in the middle of the year.

Read more

Water service suppliers – are you ready for Information Disclosure on 30 June 2026?

The Commerce Commission has issued its final Water Services Information Disclosure Determination 2026, effective 27 February 2026.

Read more