RMA Act & NPS on Urban Development

Within New Zealand’s cities the price of land remains the largest cost to new homes. In late 2021 the Labour government and National Party announced a bi-partisan change to how the planning system will control housing supply, via three key policies:

• new default Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS), allowing three units and three storeys on most sites without a resource consent
• the immediate legal effect of those standards, once plans are notified
• a modified streamlined planning process – the intensification planning process – to standardise and speed up the implementation of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development

This presentation from the Ministry for the Environment will outline the broader policy objectives and mechanics of the legislation, and Porirua City Council will provide an overview of their experience implementing the legislation.