Planning Bill Passed: What the RMA Replacement Means for You

On 22 September 2026 Parliament passed the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill. Together they replace the Resource Management Act, which has run planning in New Zealand for 35 years. If you own land, build or design in the Waikato, the first question is simple: what does this mean for the project on your desk?

I spent 21 years inside Hamilton City Council working under the RMA, and 15 more helping clients through it at Bilimoria Consulting. Here is my practical read, with the timeline set out step by step.

What Parliament has actually passed

There are two new laws. The Planning Act will cover where homes, roads and businesses can go. The Natural Environment Act covers freshwater, the coast, air, soil and native biodiversity. The RMA did both jobs in one Act. Now they are split.

Nothing changes overnight. The Bills become Acts on Royal assent, and a transition period starts one month after that. Existing RMA plans, consents and processes keep running during that transition, with some changes to how consent applications are assessed.

The RMA replacement timeline, step by step

Most of what has been written so far explains what is in the new Acts. Less has been said about when each part starts to matter for a live project. On the published sources, the order looks like this:

1. 122 September 2026: Parliament passes the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill at third reading.
2. 2Royal assent: the Bills become Acts on that day. The date is recorded on legislation.govt.nz.
3. 3One month after Royal assent: the first amendments to the RMA take effect and the transition period begins. Applications lodged from then are decided under the amended rules.
4. 4From 1 January 2028: councils cannot notify private plan changes until the transition ends, unless the Minister grants an exemption.
5. 5Through the transition: national standards are issued and new plans are prepared. Each region gets one combined plan, bundling a regional spatial plan, a natural environment plan and a land use plan for each district.
6. 6By 2030: the Government intends the full new system to be operating. Any part of the Acts not already in force comes into force four years after Royal assent at the latest.

Reform timetables slip. Treat every date after Royal assent as the current plan, not a promise.

Which rules will your project be assessed under?

This is the question that matters for anyone with a project under way, or one planned in the next two years. It comes down to timing.

• Existing RMA consents keep running during the transition.
• Applications lodged before the transition starts are decided under the RMA as it stands today.
• Applications lodged after it starts are decided under the amended RMA, which changes some of the matters a council can weigh for housing.
• Private plan changes run to a different clock. The 1 January 2028 notification cut-off is the date to plan around.

Lodge now, or wait?

Everyone will tell you to lodge before the new rules start. For some projects that is the wrong call.

For some housing land use consents, waiting for the transition may pay, because some effects can no longer drive public notification under the amended rules. It will not help if your risk is subdivision, heritage, landscape or the Waikato River. In those cases, lodge when you are ready.

The real question is which of your scheme's infringements would actually drive notification at your council. That is a judgement worth making before you decide, not after. What I would not do is hold a project back for a friendlier regime that keeps receding.

What changes over time

The bigger shift is where decisions get made. More will be settled upfront in national standards and regional spatial plans, and less case by case in individual consents. Officials estimate about 45% of today's consent applications may no longer be needed.

That is the direction, not the detail. The national standards and regional plans that will decide what no longer needs consent have not been written yet. Until they are, the district plan that applies to your site today is still the one council will use.

What to do this month

• If your application is nearly ready, talk to your planner now about whether to lodge before the transition starts or after it.
• If you are at concept stage, check the zone and overlays for your exact site first. The district plan still applies.
• If you are considering a private plan change, start the pre-lodgement work now, because of the 2028 notification cut-off.
• For anything beyond a straightforward consent, book a pre-application meeting. Hamilton City Council does not charge for them.

We help landowners and developers with resource consents in Hamilton, subdivision consents and multi-unit developments across the Waikato. The transition changes the timing questions on all three.

Frequently asked questions

Has the RMA been repealed?

Not yet. Parliament passed the replacement Bills on 22 September 2026. Existing RMA plans, consents and processes keep running through a transition period, and the Government intends the full new system to be operating by 2030.

What is the Planning Bill?

It is one of the two laws replacing the RMA. As the Planning Act it will cover where homes, roads and businesses can go. The Natural Environment Bill covers freshwater, the coast, air, soil and native biodiversity.

When does the transition start?

One month after Royal assent. That start date is the line between applications decided under today's RMA and those decided under the amended rules.

Do I still need resource consent?

Yes, wherever the district plan requires it today. Officials estimate about 45% of today's consent applications may no longer be needed over time, but that depends on national standards and new plans that have not been written yet.

Will my existing consent still be valid?

Existing RMA consents keep running during the transition. If you are unsure how the change affects a consent you hold, ask before you act on it.

Should I wait before lodging my application?

Sometimes. For some housing land use consents waiting may pay, because some effects can no longer drive notification under the amended rules. For subdivision, heritage, landscape or Waikato River matters, lodge when you are ready.

Not sure which set of rules your project will fall under? Talk to us before you lodge. Or call Gulab directly on 07 929 1565.