After 35 years, the Resource Management Act (RMA) is being replaced.
On 30 September 2026, New Zealand’s new planning Acts received Royal Assent and became law, marking the start of the transition to a new planning framework. While the new legislation is now in force, existing plans, resource consents, and consenting processes will remain in place during the transition period while the new system is gradually implemented.
The key questions are what has changed, what remains the same, and what the reforms could mean for water management in the years ahead.
What Has Changed?
The RMA is being replaced by two separate pieces of legislation:
- The Planning Act, which focuses on land-use planning and development; and
- The Natural Environment Act, which focuses on the management, use and protection of natural resources, including freshwater.
What Happens Next?
While the new legislation has now received Royal Assent, the transition to the new framework will occur over time as new policies, standards, and planning documents are developed.
For now, existing regional and district plans remain operative, resource consents continue to be processed, and compliance and monitoring activities continue under the current framework.
Existing resource consents will generally remain in place during the transition period, and consent holders must continue to comply with their consent conditions.
A significant part of the transition will involve developing new policies, standards, and planning documents that will support the operation of the new system. These documents will help guide future decisions about land use, infrastructure, natural resources, and environmental management at both national and regional levels.
Resource consents are expected to form part of the resource management system under the new framework, supported by new policies, standards, and regional planning documents.
What About Water?
The new legislation will establish the framework for future freshwater management, but many of the practical details are still to be worked through. Future direction, environmental limits, and regional planning documents will determine how freshwater resources are managed under the new system.
Areas to watch as the new framework develops include:
- How freshwater allocation and associated rules will be addressed under the new framework.
- How environmental limits will be developed and applied.
- Future consenting pathways.
- How existing water permits and replacement consents will be addressed under the new framework.
Consent holders with permits approaching expiry may also wish to keep an eye on further developments during the transition period, particularly around replacement consent requirements and consent duration arrangements.
What Does This Mean in Practice?
At present, there is no immediate change to existing resource consent obligations.
For most operations, the priorities remain the same:
- Continue complying with existing consent conditions.
- Maintain efficient water-use, environmental and farm management records.
- Stay informed as new national direction and regional planning documents are developed.
The practical effects of the reforms will become clearer as new policies, regional plans, and planning documents are developed during the transition period.
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