The Planning Act 2026 and Natural Environment Act 2026 received Royal assent on 30 September, with the transitional RMA changes kicking in on 30 October 2026. We are ready!

From 30 October some things that have traditionally been pulled into consent assessments will start to drop out.

For new district land use consent applications lodged from that date, councils will have to disregard things including:

 

• views from private property
• trade competition and retail distribution effects
• whether there is demand for a project, or whether it is financially viable
• the type of people who may live in a development
• some detailed residential design matters, subject to exceptions

 

Some real changes are in the calendar now, and timing will matter for some projects more than others - so we’ll be acting strategically, project by project. We’ll keep tracking what changes, including the new National Direction instruments scheduled for early 2027, how councils apply it, and what it means in practice.