Just before Christmas, on 18 December 2025, the Government approved ten national direction instruments, comprising amendments to seven existing directions and three new ones. As of 15 January 2026, these changes are now in force.

Coupled with the introduction of the new Planning and Environment Bills, as outlined in our latest article, resource management reform has well and truly hit the ground running for 2026. We discuss each of the changes below.

In brief, our key takeaways are: 

• National Policy Statement for Natural Hazards 2025: Under the new national direction for natural hazards, district councils will continue to progress hazard planning. The identification and assessment of hazard risk should now be front and centre of all due diligence and development plans.
• National Policy Statement for Infrastructure 2025: The policy foundation has been laid to enable and promote infrastructure – new national objectives and policies strongly support the provision of new and the protection of existing infrastructure.
• New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2010: Operational need will be a relevant consideration for activities proposing to locate in the coastal marine area.
• National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020, National Environmental Standards for Freshwater 2020, National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity 2023 and National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land 2022: Amendments have been made to streamline relevant policy considerations for quarrying and mining activities.
• National Policy Statement for Renewable Electricity Generation 2011: Decision-makers are required to give greater recognition to the benefits and needs of renewable electricity generation.
• National Policy Statement for Electricity Networks 2008: The scope of decision-making matters for electricity networks has been expanded, alongside a strong emphasis on facilitating operation, maintenance and upgrades.
• National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land 2022: A new balance is being struck between protecting productive land and the need for housing – land that is considered ‘highly productive’ has been redefined (and narrowed in scope).
• National Environmental Standards for Detached Minor Residential Units 2025: Under this new national direction instrument, minor dwellings are now enabled in certain zones.

The identification and assessment of hazard risk should now be front and centre of all due diligence and development plans

For the first time, local authorities now have national guidance on how to approach natural hazards in plan-making and decision-making and will be required to give effect to the new National Policy Statement for Natural Hazards 2025 (NPS-NH) when making resource consent decisions. The NPS-NH embeds a risk-based approach to the management of natural hazards in resource consent decision-making. The Government considers that this approach is proportionate to natural hazard management and directs decision-making to be based on the best available information on natural hazards.

A key feature of the NPS-NH is the adoption of a standardised risk matrix, which uses defined likelihood and consequence categories to assess natural hazard risks. Where a risk is assessed as medium, high, or very high, it is considered “significant” for the purposes of the NPS-NH. Where subdivision, use or development is assessed as very high that risk must be avoided – a clear directive policy.

The NPS-NH as adopted remains largely consistent with the approach outlined in the earlier discussion documents. Notably, the frameworks, including the use of a risk matrix, have been retained despite submissions calling for changes to the matrix settings, such as the definitions of likelihood and consequence and the resulting risk classifications. However, following public feedback, there have been amendments clarifying that where subdivision, use or development (including mitigation measures) would create or increase significant natural hazard risk on other sites, those risks must be avoided or mitigated proportionately to the level of natural hazard risk.

While local authorities are not required to initiate plan changes for the sole purpose of giving effect to the NPS-NH, the NPS-NH policies will be relevant to all resource management decision-making. Hazard planning has been on the agenda for many district councils across the country and although they are not required to, they are progressing with plan changes to update natural hazard controls in their plans subject to Government approval under the ‘Plan Stop’ direction. (You can read our news alert on ‘Plan Stop’ here). 

The policy foundation has been laid to enable and promote infrastructure 

Another new national instrument is the National Policy Statement for Infrastructure 2025 (NPS-I). The NPS-I intends to recognise the national significance of infrastructure by better supporting and enabling investment in the infrastructure sector whilst still managing adverse effects. 

The NPS-I applies to infrastructure as defined in the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) as well as ‘additional infrastructure’ which includes schools, emergency service facilities, stormwater networks, waste-disposal facilities and state-run facilities for healthcare, corrections and defence. Renewable electricity generation and electricity transmission activities are excluded because they are managed by other national instruments.

The NPS-I introduces mandatory objectives and policies that must be considered by decision-makers which are intended to facilitate the development of new and retention of existing infrastructure. For example: 

• There is an obligation to recognise the benefits of infrastructure and the functional or operational need for infrastructure in particular locations (decision-makers must recognise that it is the role of the infrastructure provider to identify preferred sites). 
• Decision-makers must also manage the location of infrastructure alongside other activities and engage with providers on the best ways to achieve this. 
• There is a focus on enabling the efficient and timely operation and delivery of infrastructure activities. 
• Decision-makers will be required to take a proportionate approach to mitigation (recognising that some adverse effects of infrastructure are unavoidable) and must enable new infrastructure or major upgrades in all environments (subject to provisions of the RMA that protect certain areas such as Outstanding Natural Landscapes). 

In terms of Māori interests, the NPS-I requires decision-makers to take any tangata whenua engagement undertaken into account for a consent, plan change or notice of requirement application related to infrastructure. Decision-makers must also recognise opportunities for tangata whenua involvement in infrastructure projects. Local authorities in particular will need to act in accordance with iwi participation legislation, and should provide for tangata whenua involvement where a project impacts a culturally significant site.

The introduction of the NPS-I is good news for infrastructure providers. The support that this direction gives for infrastructure should give providers greater certainty in relation to the ability to obtain notices of requirement or resource consents to construct infrastructure. For instance, decision-makers will be required to have regard to existing information given to them by the providers, saving time and expense. Additionally, activities that are incompatible with infrastructure will be managed through planning tools such as design standards and zoning. Infrastructure providers will have input into these planning tools, and should be prepared to discuss which measures are acceptable to them, and which land use activities they deem to be compatible. Despite this policy support, infrastructure providers should still use their best efforts to avoid, remedy or mitigate adverse effects of infrastructure projects as this will still be an expectation.

Further information on the NPS-I and its implications can be found in this recently released article. 

Operational need will be a relevant consideration for activities proposing to locate in the coastal marine area

The New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2010 (NZCPS) sets national direction for coastal planning, and requires councils to incorporate its policies into regional plans. It is taken into account in resource consent decisions. 

The 2025 amendments to the NZCPS enable ‘priority activities’ to occur in the coastal environment if they have a “functional need or operational need” to locate in the coastal marine area (such as a technical or operational constraint). Priority activities include infrastructure, as defined in the RMA, which encompasses (but is not limited to) gas and fuel pipelines, drainage and sewerage systems, transportation facilities and cargo or passenger unloading facilities). Priority activities can also include renewable electricity generation or electricity transmission, aquaculture activities and the extraction of minerals for the purpose of supporting infrastructure. 

The NZCPS has also been amended to recognise the cultural and environmental benefits of aquaculture, alongside the social and economic benefits that are already expressed. 

Amendments have been made to various policy statements to streamline relevant policy considerations for quarrying and mining activities

As signalled in the Government’s discussion documents, a core feature of the national direction reform is the creation of a streamlined and consistent consenting pathway for quarrying and mining activities. Previously, differing terminology and thresholds across the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 (NPS-FM), the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater 2020 (NES-F), the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity 2023 (NPS-IB), and the NPS-HPL resulted in misalignment and, in some cases, practical barriers to obtaining consents.

To deliver on this intention, the Government has introduced several targeted amendments, including:

• Introducing an additional gateway test of ‘operational need’ into the NPS-FM and NES-F for quarrying activities, mineral extraction, and associated ancillary activities within natural inland wetlands. This provides an alternative to the more restrictive ‘functional need’ threshold and is intended to enable quarrying and mining projects, as well as their supporting or ancillary activities that affect wetlands, to meet the relevant gateway tests and progress to the consent application stage.
• Introducing a new definition for quarrying activities into the NPS-IB and specifying that the requirement to avoid specified adverse environmental effects does not apply to land uses relating to quarrying activities of national or regional benefit. In this instance, adverse effects must still be managed. 
• Aligning terms to describe quarry and mining activities in the NPS-HPL. Terms like ‘mineral extraction’ and ‘aggregate extraction’ have been replaced with ‘extraction of minerals and ancillary activities’ and ‘quarrying activities’. These amendments, along with including the definitions for ‘ancillary activity’ and ‘quarrying activities’ from the National Planning Standards to the NPS-HPL will remove any ambiguity in defined terms and align the NPS-HPL with other national direction. 

Decision-makers are required to give greater recognition to the benefits and needs of renewable electricity generation 

The National Policy Statement for Renewable Electricity Generation 2011 (NPS-REG) has been amended to better enable the establishment and consenting of renewable electricity generation (REG) activities, while ensuring sustainable outcomes. Introduced in 2011, the NPS-REG seeks to support the sustainable management of REG activities in New Zealand. However, these activities have been constrained by consenting difficulties, high compliance costs and inconsistent decision-making outcomes. The amendments seek to address these barriers and provide clearer national direction.

The amended NPS-REG expands on the requirement for decision-makers to recognise the benefits of renewable electricity activities. Additional matters that decision-makers must now recognise include the contribution of REG activities to social, economic and cultural wellbeing, the need to avoid reliance on fossil fuels, and the importance of locating REG activities in a manner that minimises adverse effects on other activities. The NES-REG now places a stronger emphasis on the functional or operational need for REG activities to locate in a specific area, requiring decision-makers to provide for this rather than merely taking it into consideration. The amendments also require decision-makers to enable REG activities in all environments (subject to RMA protections) and recognise that existing REG assets form part of the existing environment. 

Collectively, these provisions represent a more enabling framework for renewable electricity providers. Despite this shift, the obligation to avoid, remedy or mitigate adverse environmental effects where practicable remains. 

The scope of decision-making matters for electricity networks has been expanded, alongside a strong emphasis on facilitating operation, maintenance and upgrades

The National Policy Statement for Electricity Networks 2008 (NPS-EN) has been amended to provide clearer and more enabling national direction for electricity network infrastructure. Previously titled the National Policy Statement for Electricity Transmission, the NPS-EN has been renamed and its scope broadened to apply to electricity distribution networks as well as electricity transmission networks. 

The amended NPS-EN expands the matters that decision-makers are required to recognise and provide for when considering electricity network activities. These now include the contribution of electricity networks to social, cultural and economic wellbeing, as well as to economic growth. Updated policies place a stronger emphasis on enabling the routine operation, maintenance and upgrading of electricity network assets, provided that adverse effects are appropriately managed where practicable. The amendments also introduce clearer direction regarding the operational and functional need for electricity networks to be located in particular environments (including urban, rural and coastal environments, and across district and regional boundaries), explicitly recognising the role of network providers in identifying preferred sites. 

Decision-makers are required to take into account that some adverse effects cannot be avoided, while still requiring best practice to be exercised and practicable opportunities to reduce existing adverse effects to be considered when undertaking non-routine electricity network activities. 

Further changes strengthen protections for electricity network assets from the effects of third-party activities. These include requirements for decision-makers to manage adverse effects by avoiding direct effects of incompatible development on electricity networks, and enhanced provisions requiring buildings, structures, earthworks, subdivision and land use activities to maintain safe distances from, and provide sufficient space for, access to and ongoing maintenance, construction, development and upgrading of network assets. 

Collectively, these amendments establish a more enabling and nationally consistent framework for electricity network providers, while maintaining appropriate safeguards for managing environmental effects.

A new balance is being struck between protecting productive land and the need for housing

The National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land 2022 (NPS-HPL) protects land that is suitable for primary production from inappropriate use and development. The NPS-HPL previously applied to and excluded urban development and rezoning occurring on land with a Land Use Capability (LUC) of [1, 2 or 3].

The 2025 amendments to the NPS-HPL aim to roll-back the limitation on urban development on LUC 3 land, to make this land more available for housing. Restrictions will still remain in place on New Zealand’s most productive land (LUC 1 and 2). 

The requirements for councils to notify HPL maps in regional policy statements are also suspended and paused until the end of 2027, in line with the Government’s policy which prevents council-led plan changes and reviews until late 2027 in anticipation of the new resource management system being implemented. (You can read our news alert on ‘Plan Stop’ here). 

Minor dwellings are now enabled in certain zones across the country 

The National Environmental Standards for Detached Minor Residential Units 2025 (NES-DMRU) introduces amendments to the RMA and the Building Act that remove the requirement for building or resource consents for detached minor residential units (DMRU) of up to 70m2 that comply with relevant standards and are located in a Māori purpose, mixed use, residential or rural zone. This change is expected to reduce compliance barriers for new projects, with the Hon Shane Jones indicating the reform could lower direct development costs by up to $5,650 per dwelling and shorten delivery timeframes by around 14 weeks. 

A DMRU will still need to comply with:

• controls on building coverage, setbacks from the principal unit, and site boundaries;
• rules and standards in a district plan relating to subdivision, matters of national importance, use for other activities, papakāinga and earthworks; and
• relevant regional plan rules and standards.

The changes introduced by the NES-DMRU are expected to enable the construction of up to 13,000 additional minor dwellings over the next decade. The reform also clarifies that these dwellings may be rented independently, supporting more flexible development strategies and potentially enhancing site utilisation without the need for further land acquisition.

Conclusion

These changes are just the beginning – more extensive amendments are proposed under package 3 of the national direction reform programme. These primarily relate to national environmental standards, which are still being considered and are expected to be released in the first quarter of 2026. These changes are likely to be significant and will inevitably shape the new planning system. 

We will continue to monitor both these developments along with the ongoing progress of the new Planning and Natural Environment Bills. 

If you would like further information on resource management reform and how these changes may affect you, please reach out to one of our experts.