Guidance notes and technical advice - guidance for resource consent applicants and resource management practitioners

Resource consents

Applying for or holding a resource consent can be complicated, especially if your activity involves detailed rules and regulations.

To support you, we regularly create guidance notes that:

include technical advice explaining how we interpret laws and regulations, and/or
offer practical tips and suggestions for your application or consent holder responsibilities.

Please note: These notes do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. Please seek specific legal advice if you have legal questions or issues. We do our best to keep this information accurate and up to date.

We also strongly recommend you talk with us first before you start your resource consent application.

Select a topic below to learn more

With the Planning Act 2026 (PA) and Natural Environment Act 2026 (NEA) coming into force on 1 October 2026, the Planning Act introduced consent expiry extensions for almost all regional resource consents granted under the RMA. These extensions, where applicable, are additional to extensions in December 2025. This guidance provides advice on which consents are extended and what we know about how long extensions will be.
- Guidance on Consent Duration Extensions under the Planning Act 2026
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The Government is undertaking a three-phase work programme to reform the resource management system.

While phase three will replace the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) in its entirety, the Resource Management (Consent Duration) Amendment Act 2025 makes a targeted change to the RMA in the interim to extend the duration of many consents that would otherwise expire in 2026 and 2027, plus reinstating expired consents where replacement applications are currently in progress.

This guidance document focuses on which consents are affected and what this means for affected consent holders.
- Guidance on the Resource Management (Consent Duration) Amendment Act 2025
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Find out more about changes to the consent process that apply under the Resource Management Act 1991 in relation to amendments made 20 August 2025.

These include important changes regarding requests for further information, consideration of compliance history in decision-making and for reviews,and the provision of draft conditions. The Amendment Act also introduces provisions facilitating consenting of new infrastructure, including for renewable energy, and an ability to decline some land use consents due to significant natural hazard risks.
- Guidance on consenting implications of the Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Act 2025
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