The Government has announced a significant overhaul of New Zealand’s planning system, describing it as the removal of an “economic handbrake” on housing supply, infrastructure, and development. The new legislation introduced in December 2025 replaces the Resource Management Act with a framework designed to simplify rules, speed up approvals, and provide greater certainty for developers and homeowners.

At a practical level, the reforms include mandatory housing growth targets for councils, the removal of rural-urban boundaries, fewer consent requirements for low-impact activities, more consistent planning rules nationwide, and faster, lower-cost decision-making processes. The intention is clear: reduce complexity and delays that have historically slowed development.

For the construction and property sector, this represents a meaningful shift toward a more enabling planning environment. While full implementation will take time and detail still matters, the overall direction is encouraging. Streamlined planning processes should help unlock development opportunities and support a more reliable pipeline of residential and infrastructure projects.

From our perspective, greater certainty and consistency are just as important as speed. If delivered well, these reforms have the potential to improve affordability, support sustainable growth, and restore confidence across the development sector.