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.

The INPD signals the Government’s priorities and a guideline for what planning in New Zealand might look like in the near future.

The Planning and Natural Environment Bills were debated in the Committee of the Whole House last week and are currently awaiting their Third Reading in the week of 21 September 2026, after which they will receive Royal Assent and become law.  We will be providing further comment on the Bills once they have been passed into law.

Where does the NPD sit within the new system?

The Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill sit atop the new resource management ‘funnel’ architecture. The Bills set the overall goals, with the NPD translating these goals into specific national priorities and directives.

The priorities and directives set out in the NPD will be used to inform national standards, which will provide more detailed rules and methods for implementation. Below this, specific plans will then give more granular effect to these rules and methods at the regional (Regional Spatial Plans) and local level (Land Use Plans and Natural Environment Plans).

A key intention of this structure is to produce greater consistency across the country, reduce uncertainty, and ensure national priorities are reflected in planning decisions. Minister Bishop described the NPD as the vehicle that “translates the goals of the Planning and Natural Environment Bills into clear directives on national priorities and identifies how key system conflicts should be resolved”.

The Select Committee amendments reinforced this approach by requiring a single national policy direction under each Bill that elaborates on all statutory goals.

Key themes and features

The INPD is organised around five key themes, each containing directives on how the goals of the new system should be put into place. In addition, ‘cross-cutting’ and system-wide directives exist which apply across all five themes.

These five key themes along with a short summary of their key or notable features is set out below.

Housing and Development focuses on enabling production of housing supply, creating a hierarchy of urban intensification expectations, and requirements for rural councils to enable diverse housing types. It also proposes the creation of an “Urban Land Market Statutory Officer” who could require local authorities to respond to land markets that they have determined are ‘non-competitive’.

Infrastructure emphasises the timely delivery of infrastructure to meet upcoming demand, with spatial plans required to map priorities out to 30 years. The definition of ‘infrastructure’ is broad, covering ‘social’ infrastructure such schools and hospitals. Notably, this theme also supports all forms of energy generation, including non-renewable energy generation.

Primary production supports agriculture, horticulture, forestry and aquaculture through a nationally consistent framework. Freshwater farm plans become the primary tool for managing on-farm freshwater effects, high-value growing areas are protected from reverse sensitivity issues, and large-scale exotic forestry is limited where it would affect future land uses.

Resources – quarrying, mining, and waste encourages new and expanded quarrying and mining operations in identified locations, protecting mineral resource extraction operations from competing land uses and reverse sensitivity issues.

Public values address environmental and human health, indigenous biodiversity, public access, landscapes and historic heritage. A three-tiered system for indigenous biodiversity applies proportionate protections, ranging from strict management of the most significant areas to full flexibility elsewhere.

In addition to these themes, two system-wide directives are included.

Māori interests address resource use, development and environmental management to protect and provide for Māori. It provides for the identification and protection of sites of significance to Māori, enabling the use of identified Māori land for cultural, social, or economic purposes. Treaty settlement arrangements must also be upheld with the same effect as under the RMA.

Natural hazards forms the final theme with the goal of establishing a consistent, proportionate, and risk-based approach to managing natural hazard risk. The directive encourages growth and development in areas where natural hazard risk can be avoided or mitigated, and each of the five key themes receives their own unique natural hazard guidance.

Where to from here?

The release of the INPD is intended to be an opportunity for consultation and review, with significant scope for feedback to help shape a key planning document.

Minister Bishop described this as a chance to “test the structure and content with those who engage with the planning system every day to identify any improvements needed or gaps needing filling to ensure it’s clear and workable before a formal statutory consultation process”.

Any feedback on the INPD needs to be submitted by Friday 16 October 2026 and key requested topics of feedback are whether:

• the proposed thematic structure is easy to understand;
• the illustrative NPD provides a useful picture of how national direction could work; and
• there are any important priorities, gaps or trade-offs that should be addressed.

Our national Environment and Planning Team is following these legislative changes closely. If you would like to understand what the new framework could mean for you or want assistance making a submission on the INPD, please get in touch.

Mike Doesburg, Partner – Wynn Williams Local Government team

Kate Woods, Special Counsel – Wynn Williams Local Government team

Trent Hall, Associate – Wynn Williams Local Government team