Infrastructure and renewables consenting reforms take effect under RMA

Changes the Government says will speed up infrastructure delivery and boost renewable energy development have come into force, following the introduction of new and amended national direction under the Resource Management Act.

RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop, Energy Minister Simon Watts and Infrastructure and RMA Reform under-secretary Simon Court say the reforms are aimed at cutting red tape and addressing New Zealand’s infrastructure deficit.

The Government has introduced a new National Policy Statement for Infrastructure and amended two existing instruments: the National Policy Statement for Renewable Electricity Generation and the National Policy Statement for Electricity Networks.

“The RMA is a direct contributor to New Zealand’s infrastructure deficit. It drives up costs, slows projects down, and has become a complicated nightmare for councils and developers alike,” Bishop says.

“A 2022 study for the Infrastructure Commission by Sapere found that developers collectively spend $1.29 billion each year getting projects consented and consenting costs have risen 70% since 2014. Paperwork has taken priority over progress.”

Bishop says the new National Policy Statement for Infrastructure sets policies to support the development, operation and upgrading of infrastructure nationwide.

“It is staggering that despite infrastructure’s importance to the economy, New Zealand has not had a NPS for Infrastructure until now. We are focused on fixing the basics and building the future, laying the foundations to grow the economy and create jobs,” he says.

“The new NPS puts into force the crucial role infrastructure plays in the nation’s economy, resilience, and climate adaptation, helping to ensure that these assets are protected and effectively managed for the long term.”

He says the changes will allow New Zealanders to see benefits from a more enabling planning system immediately, rather than waiting for the full rollout of the new planning framework.

“The changes were extensively consulted on last year,” Bishop says.

Court says the lack of national direction has constrained infrastructure development under the RMA.

“The absence of national direction to promote the delivery of infrastructure through our planning system has left infrastructure suffocated beneath the excesses of other matters the RMA has regulated,” Court says.

“The horror stories I experienced from my civil engineering days have only been getting worse and more frequent. Good projects are consistently being cut off at the knees.

“The NPS for Infrastructure will restore proportionality and give councils, communities, and investors clear and consistent direction that roads, pipes, and power lines are essential,” he says.

Watts says the amendments will make it easier to consent renewable electricity generation and electricity networks.

“To give a practical example of how the RMA currently operates, in 2003 the Te Apiti windfarm site took 77 days to consent and had 20 conditions attached to that consent,” Watts says.

“In contrast, the Mill Creek windfarm site, completed in 2014, took 1,437 days, and had 90 conditions attached. This is unacceptable if we want to take renewables seriously.”

He says the updated National Policy Statement for Renewable Electricity Generation has been strengthened to ease consenting for renewable projects, including small-scale and community-led developments.

“We’ve expanded the previous transmission-only focus to now include both transmission and distribution networks. It provides clearer and more consistent direction for planning and consenting new network proposals, supports routine maintenance and upgrades, and strengthens protections against incompatible neighbouring activities,” Watts says.

“New Zealand has an exciting future powered by renewable electricity. Through electrification, we will supercharge our economy, tackle climate change, and strengthen our energy security. The changes coming into force today brings us closer to this future.”

The new and amended national direction instruments were gazetted on December 18 and take legal effect today, January 15. They form the first tranche of revised national direction under the current planning system and are intended to integrate into the Government’s new planning framework.

A second tranche of RMA national direction instruments, including five further National Environmental Standards, is expected to be considered by Cabinet in the coming months.