AM Edition: Here are the top 10 politics articles on LiveNews.co.nz for August 20, 2026 – Full Text
1. Providing certainty for the marine sector
August 19, 2026
Source: New Zealand Government
Councils will lose the ability to make rules for fishing and fishery resources already managed under the Fisheries Act in changes to legislation going through Parliament, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says.
The Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill which are progressing through Parliament, will replace the Resource Management Act and implement a new planning system that allows greater primary sector growth while still protecting the environment.
“This is good news for fishers – recreational, customary and commercial – and aquaculture operators. They will no longer have to suffer uncertainty and confusion caused by overlapping legislation,” Mr Jones says.
“For our wild catch fisheries, the changes will remove the ability of councils to make rules about fishing or fishery resources that are managed under the Fisheries Act, meaning fishing will be managed through one national system.
“This makes it simpler for fishers, and councils won’t need to spend time and resources developing fisheries controls that are more effectively managed by central government.”
While the change affects who can regulate fishing activities, the requirements under the Fisheries Act to manage fishery resources sustainably remains.
“Our fish stocks cross council boundaries so it makes sense to have a nationwide approach for managing them,” Mr Jones says.
“Our national fisheries system already allows for local communities to actively take part in protecting their rohe moana, this will not change.”
Mr Jones says the aquaculture sector will also benefit from changes that simplify the consent process for open ocean aquaculture projects, supporting the sustainable and strategic growth of the sector.
“New Zealand has ambitious goals for aquaculture growth, aiming to reach $3 billion in annual revenue by 2035,” Mr Jones says.
“Open ocean aquaculture, which has the potential to deliver a large part of this growth, will have a simpler consent process. This includes removing the need to consider outstanding natural landscapes or features, or areas of high natural character, for activities more than three nautical miles offshore.”
The legislation will also create the ability for ministerial decision-making on aquaculture space allocation where appropriate, giving marine farmers more certainty, even before they are granted a consent.
“This will help attract greater investment in the sector and help the enormous potential for growth,” Mr Jones says.
“Together, these changes will help ensure New Zealanders have access to more kaimoana, as well as allowing us to meet global demand for our seafood and bring economic and employment opportunities for the country.”
Council fishing rules currently in place and proposed council fishing rules going through council planning processes will continue until all the new system plans are operative, expected to be in 2030.
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/08/19/providing-certainty-for-the-marine-sector/
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2. Greenpeace – Interference in Smith v Fonterra shows sinister side of polluters’ influence on politics
August 19, 2026
Source: Greenpeace
Greenpeace says that a retrospective law change, which makes it illegal to sue climate polluters over the damages caused by climate change, is yet more evidence of corporate capture within the Coalition Government.
The Climate Change Response (Tort Liability) Amendment Bill, which passed its third reading in Parliament yesterday, prohibits New Zealanders from suing businesses over the impacts of their climate pollution. The law was primarily designed to prevent the Smith v Fonterra case spearheaded by Māori activist Mike Smith.
Greenpeace Programme Director Niamh O’Flynn says, “The Coalition Government passing this Bill at the bidding of corporations shows the sinister side of the influence of polluters on politics. Instead of standing for the interests of New Zealanders, this Government has stepped in to prevent some of New Zealand’s worst polluters from being held accountable for their climate destruction.”
“This abuse of power – a law change made at the request of Fonterra and Z Energy – is yet more evidence that this Government is little more than a puppet for polluting corporations and industries.
“Big polluters – like Fonterra and the oil and gas industry – are profiting from the climate crisis, but the rest of us are paying the price, from skyrocketing insurance premiums to the enormous cost of rebuilding roads, bridges and other infrastructure after climate disasters.”
In May, it was revealed that secret lobbying by Fonterra and Z Energy – including a briefing sent to the personal email of the Prime Minister’s Chief Policy Advisor – had led to the creation of the Bill. O’Flynn says this is just one example in a broader pattern.
“This Government has allowed corporate polluters to write the policy on everything from fresh water to climate change. Now, they’re attempting to take away our avenues to challenge those polluters. But we will continue to resist.
“In 2013, the National Government passed the Anadarko Amendment at the bidding of international oil giants, to prevent New Zealanders from confronting climate villains. Despite this, our movement (with Mike at the forefront) continued to kick them out one-by-one. Mike’s case may be on ice, but he and the thousands of New Zealanders taking action for climate change will keep fighting this war on nature.
“If this Government thinks that by preventing civil lawsuits against polluters, they’re stopping us from taking action, then they’ve got another thing coming. We will continue to fight for our kids’ and grandkids’ future.”
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3. Certainty for Waikato and Manawatū-Whanganui farmers
August 19, 2026
Source: New Zealand Government
The Government is taking targeted action to provide certainty for farmers and growers in the Waikato and Manawatū-Whanganui while we transition to a new planning system, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, and Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard say.
“After 14 years of hearings and appeals, Plan Change 1 to the Waikato Regional Plan is set to land on farmers in a way that is complex, costly, and duplicative,” Mr Bishop says.
“PC1 arrives at the very moment our new planning system is replacing the RMA. Without action, Waikato farmers face duplicative consenting requirements colliding with the new system: rules written under a law being repealed, old farm plans layered on new farm plans, and consents that may be redundant within a few years.
“To provide certainty for Waikato farmers, the Government intends to prevent the restrictive elements on Plan Change 1 from applying during the transition period to the new planning system,” Mr McClay says.
“Farmers in the Waikato and Waipā catchments will be able to continue operating under PC1’s permitted activity rules during the transition period, while existing controls on land use change and intensification that have applied since 2016 when PC1 was notified remain in place to help safeguard freshwater.
“Our new planning system will reduce duplication, cut red tape, and drive simplification. PC1 is on a collision course with these priorities,” Minister Bishop says.
“The Government recognises the significant work already undertaken by iwi, Waikato Regional Council, farmers, growers and other parties through the PC1 process.
“To ensure that this work is not wasted, the Government also intends to legislate to require the new natural environment plan for these catchments under the new planning system to have particular regard to PC1.”
The Government is also changing some requirements in Horizons’ Plan Change 2 relating to prescribed nitrogen discharge reductions and consenting pathways.
“Horizons Plan Change 2 is in a similar situation, and will likely become operative during the transition to the new system, causing chaos and uncertainty for farmers and growers in Manawatū-Whanganui,” Mr Bishop says.
“As with PC1, the Government wants to avoid these farmers and growers having to meet requirements that will soon be replaced under the new planning system,” Mr McClay says.
“To smooth the transition for PC2, farmers and growers will still be required to make ongoing environmental improvements, but the prescribed nitrogen reductions will no longer apply.”
“New Zealand is grappling with economic challenges, including the cost of living. It is intolerable for any planning instrument to worsen our economic prospects irrespective of its origins,” Mr Jones says.
“Horizons Plan Change 2 is in a similar situation and will likely become operative during the transition to the new system, causing chaos and uncertainty for farmers and growers in Manawatū-Whanganui,” says Mr Hoggard.
“As with PC1, the Government wants to avoid these farmers and growers having to meet requirements that will soon be replaced under the new planning system,”
“To smooth the transition for PC2, farmers and growers will still be required to make ongoing environmental improvements, but the prescribed nitrogen reductions will no longer apply,” Mr Hoggard says.
“New Zealand is grappling with economic challenges, including the cost of living. It is intolerable for any planning instrument to worsen our economic prospects irrespective of its origins, Treaty or otherwise,” Mr Jones says.
Both sets of proposed changes would be progressed through an Amendment Paper at the next stage of the Planning and Natural Environment Bills, expected later this month.
Notes to editor:
- When preparing the first Natural Environment Plan for the Waikato region under the new resource management system, the responsible local authority will be required to have particular regard to PC1
- PC1 will continue to control land use change and intensification through requiring consent, and note that this has been in place since 2016 when PC1 was first notified
- The Amendment Paper releases on Friday 21 August.
- Please see the attached factsheet.
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/08/19/certainty-for-waikato-and-manawatu-whanganui-farmers/
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4. Network efficiency needed for more affordable power, Govt says
August 19, 2026
Source: New Zealand Government
Electricity network costs are driving most of the increases in New Zealanders’ power bills and the sector needs to help make power more affordable, Energy Minister Simeon Brown and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Cameron Brewer say.
“The Government’s goal is abundant, affordable and reliable power for all New Zealanders with the Government taking a number of actions to achieve this as part of the Government’s Energy Package announced following the Frontier Review,” Mr Brown says.
“With electricity distribution network costs making up about a quarter of household power bills, and responsible for around two thirds of the rise in those bills, distribution companies need to come to the affordability party.
“There are 28 Electricity Distribution Businesses (EDBs) in New Zealand, responsible for local infrastructure like power lines, poles and substations. Some EDBs are subject to price-quality regulation in which the Commerce Commission sets their maximum revenue and minimum service standards.
“Regulated revenues were last set in 2024 when interest rates had risen substantially following record inflation. Unfortunately, due to the high interest rates at that time, consumers are paying right now for that excess, on top of the cost of preparing networks for the greater electrification that is under way, and the increased demand that is coming.
“Supporting a reliable and affordable electricity system is one of this Government’s top priorities, which is why we’re asking for feedback on potential reforms to the regulatory framework that underpins this important sector.
“The discussion document released by MBIE today sets out options to strengthen the performance of EDBs so they can provide reliable and affordable services to consumers while supporting increased electrification and innovation.
The three key areas in which the Government is looking to take further action regarding EDBs, as outlined in the document, include:
- Collaboration and standardisation: Whether there are changes the Government could make to encourage greater collaboration between EDBs and more consistent processes, pricing approaches and customer interfaces. This is intended to help realise efficiencies of scale without requiring structural consolidation.
- More responsive economic regulation: Options to strengthen the Commerce Commission’s regulatory toolkit, including improved performance monitoring and benchmarking, expanded information-gathering powers, additional regulatory tools between information disclosure and price-quality regulation, more flexible regulatory approaches, and easier pathways for applying stronger regulation where warranted.
- Stronger governance and accountability: Options to clarify EDB objectives, improve oversight of non-core investments, strengthen governance capability, and ensure ownership arrangements remain fit for purpose as investment needs and sector complexity increase.
“The cost of electricity and potential for rising bills is front of mind for New Zealand households and businesses. I expect the sector to play its part in improving affordability for Kiwis by boosting efficiency, including through greater collaboration and standardisation.
“Positive work is underway, but more change is needed to make the system more affordable for households and businesses.”
Mr Brewer says the scale of investment required for New Zealand’s energy transition raises questions about whether the current arrangements will continue to deliver the best outcomes for consumers in the future.
“It is vital that consumers have confidence that investment in their networks represents value for money, and that cost pressures are being actively addressed. Improved efficiency and innovation could help moderate prices and strengthen the economy more broadly,” Mr Brewer says.
“That’s why we are considering whether the Commerce Commission, as economic regulator, needs stronger and more modern tools to help lift efficiency across the sector.”
“Ensuring the legislation is fit for purpose will put downward pressure on power bills and help unlock innovation and productivity across the economy as electricity demand grows.”
Submissions can be made via the MBIE website where the discussion document is also available: https://www.mbie.govt.nz/have-your-say/consultation-on-edb.
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/08/19/network-efficiency-needed-for-more-affordable-power-govt-says/
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5. A more practical planning system for food and fibre production
August 19, 2026
Source: New Zealand Government
The Government is making targeted changes to the new planning system to create a more practical system for food and fibre production, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard and RMA Reform Under-Secretary Simon Court say.
“The Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill will replace the Resource Management Act with a faster, clearer and less costly planning system that better supports housing, infrastructure, primary production and economic growth, while protecting the natural environment,” Mr Bishop says.
“The changes will remove unnecessary complexity, better reflect real-world farming and horticultural practices, and provide greater certainty for investment and day-to-day operations.”
Mr Bishop says the changes include simplifying the Natural Environment Bill’s environmental limits framework by removing resource cap provisions and simplifying action plan provisions.
“These changes clarify our intent that action plans are the primary mechanism for managing resource use when a limit is at risk of being breached,” Mr Court says.
“This is about making the framework less prescriptive. It allows greater precision and flexibility through national instruments, without materially altering the intent or requirements of the environmental limits framework.”
“This will make requirements easier to apply on the ground for farmers and growers, while not reducing core environmental protections,” Mr McClay says.
The Government will also expand what counts as an existing use to better account for seasonal activities. Existing uses will now include lawfully established activities carried out in the past 12 months, up from 6 months.
“Farmers and growers operate in the real world, where activities are often seasonal and do not always fit neatly into a six-month window,” Mr McClay says.
“Extending the existing use period to 12 months better reflects how food and fibre production works, including activities such as crop rotation.”
The definition of long-lived infrastructure will also be amended to include water storage and distribution, meaning a minimum 35-year duration will apply to permits for water infrastructure. This will apply to building the relevant infrastructure, not the taking of water.
“Water storage and distribution infrastructure is critical for productive and resilient rural communities,” Mr McClay says.
“Longer consent durations will provide greater certainty for investment in the infrastructure farmers and growers rely on.”
The Amendment Papers also include changes to sections 70 and 107 of the Resource Management Act. These changes will enable councils to permit, or grant consent for, activities in the transition period where adverse effects are already occurring in a waterbody, as long as the permitted activity or consent includes requirements to reduce those effects over time.
“This will allow councils to recognise situations where improvement is already being built into the rules or consent conditions,” Mr Hoggard says.
“Where effects are already occurring, the law should support activity continuing where there are clear requirements to reduce those effects over time.”
Mr Hoggard says the package responds to concerns from farmers and growers about how the new planning system will work on the ground.
“Food and fibre producers need rules that are clear, proportionate and practical. These changes will help reduce unnecessary complexity while maintaining a focus on environmental improvement.”
The Amendment Papers also include changes to strengthen environmental protections in the Bills, such as amending the indigenous biodiversity goal in the Natural Environment Bill, replacing “no net loss in indigenous biodiversity” with “protect significant indigenous biodiversity”.
“We’ve heard feedback about the workability of the ‘no net loss’ approach and we’re making this change to ensure biodiversity protections are focused where they are needed most.”
Mr Bishop says the changes make the Bills more workable without changing their overall direction.
“The new planning system is designed to be faster, clearer and more enabling, while protecting the natural environment.
“These targeted changes will help ensure the system works in practice for farmers, growers and other New Zealanders who rely on natural resources.”
The Amendment Papers will be considered during the Committee of the Whole House stage.
The Government is also announcing related changes to make freshwater farm plans more proportionate and cost-effective, and targeted action on Plan Changes 1 and 2 to provide respective certainty for farmers and growers in the Waikato and Manawatū-Whanganui while the new planning system is put in place.
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/08/19/a-more-practical-planning-system-for-food-and-fibre-production/
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6. Government Cuts – Exposed – Govt plan to deliberately starve hospitals of staff to save money, PSA report
August 19, 2026
Source: PSA
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7. Legislation – Government takes scalpel to red tape for farmers – Federated Farmers
August 19, 2026
Source: Federated Farmers
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8. More than 820 homes through Flexible Fund
August 19, 2026
Source: New Zealand Government
The first tranche of investment through the Government’s Housing Flexible Fund is delivering more than 820 new social and affordable homes in areas where they are needed most, exceeding its initial target of 675 to 770, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says.
“The 823 homes are being enabled through Budget 2025 funding of $41 million in operating funding and around $60 million in capital funding. These homes will be delivered across nine locations, with the majority of funding directed to four areas with particularly high housing need: South Auckland, the Far North, Eastern Bay of Plenty and Gisborne-Tairāwhiti.
“In the past, governments have invested in social housing without a clear understanding of what is needed, where it is needed, and who is best placed to deliver it.
“In 2025, the Government created a new contestable Flexible Fund for social housing and affordable rentals to replace the current patchwork of programmes and funds. We also created a Housing Investment Plan to ensure that we would invest in the right houses, in the right place, for the right people, with the right support.
“These changes are a major shift to a data-driven, needs-based approach. Our new approach is now in place and is already making the social housing system better.
“The nine priority locations we are investing in through the Budget 2025 Flexible Fund places were identified in the Housing Investment Plan and are backed by strong evidence of need.
“With the first procurement round for the Flexible Fund now complete, the first homes are expected to be delivered and ready for tenants from July 2027.
The 823 homes will be delivered in:
- South Auckland – 190 homes
- Far North – 151 homes
- Eastern Bay of Plenty – 133 homes
- Gisborne-Tairāwhiti – 118 homes
- Wellington – 55 homes
- Christchurch – 53 homes
- Hamilton – 50 homes
- Tauranga – 50 homes
- Hastings – 23 homes
Around half of the homes will be social housing and half affordable rentals, with more than 30 Community Housing Providers (CHPs) involved in delivery.
“The Government has a clear focus on delivering the right places, for people in housing need, and our Flexible Fund is enabling this,” Mr Potaka says.
“For example, we know that more than 60 per cent of people on the housing register currently need a one-bedroom home. As a result, more than 75 per cent of the homes progressing through the Flexible Fund are one- or two-bedroom homes.
“The Flexible Fund is also letting CHPs come to us with their good ideas and mahi. When we went out for procurement, we said – bring us your best ideas. This has already encouraged providers to go further. For example, Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust has committed to deliver an additional affordable rental home for every home it receives Government funding to deliver.
“Many of our preferred delivery partners selected through the Flexible Fund are Māori housing providers, reflecting the important role they play in delivering homes for whānau in areas of high housing need.
“Māori providers bring strong local relationships, specialist experience, and a clear understanding of the housing needs within their communities.”
“The Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport will now work with preferred delivery partners to approve specific projects and progress contracting.”
“This investment builds on previous Budget commitments. Budget 2024 provided $140 million for 1,500 new social homes, followed by Budget 2025, which – in addition to the Flexible Fund investment – added $128 million which is supporting over 600 new social homes in Auckland, says Minister Bishop.
“Budget 2026 added a further $69.2 million for the second tranche of the Flexible Fund and will support delivery of 1,800–2,250 additional homes from 2028/29.
“Work is already underway on the next Housing Investment Plan, which will guide the allocation of Budget 2026 funding to support a further 1,800 to 2,250 homes over a three-year delivery period from July 2028.
“Together, these investments represent 4,800 – 5,200 additional social homes and affordable rentals. Our intention is to keep topping up the Flexible Fund in future Budgets to keep building and strengthening the pipeline.
“I am really proud that through the Flexible Fund we have now delivered the first proper long-term, funded pipeline for CHPs. The sector has been asking this for years, and we are doing it.
“In addition to building a stable pipeline, we have also made borrowing costs cheaper for CHPs. In 2025, the Government provided a liquidity facility for the Community Housing Funding Agency as well as a Bank Guarantee Scheme for lending to CHPs.
“This has already helped the sector get access to lower interest rates. In some cases, CHPs have refinanced from rates at about 8.5% to fixed rates as low as 4% for three to five years – which is a fantastic outcome and is helping to get more social and affordable homes built across New Zealand.
“Overall, since we came into Government, more than 8,400 social housing places have been delivered nationally, and the social housing waitlist has reduced from 25,483 to 19,003. However, it’s clear there is more to do.
“The Government will keep doing the hard work to fix the fundamentals of the social housing system to help New Zealanders in need.”
Notes to editor:
- Attached is a list of Flexible Fund preferred delivery partners.
- The locations of the 823 new homes relate specifically to the Budget 2025 Flexible Fund. Investment locations will be reassessed for any future funding rounds.
- Funding for social housing is primarily operating funding over a long-term contract. Affordable rentals primarily use capital funding.
- The purpose of the Flexible Fund is to have both operating and capital funding available, so that funding can be deployed to the highest and best use housing solutions that support people in high need.
- The Flexible Fund received Budget 2025 investment of $41 million in operating over four years, and $250 million of capital funding over ten years (of which, around $60 million is supporting the 823 homes). The remaining capital funding will support future investment through the Flexible Fund.
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/08/19/more-than-820-homes-through-flexible-fund/
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9. Achieving competitive urban land markets in new system
August 19, 2026
Source: New Zealand Government
Achieving competitive urban land markets in new system
The government will establish an independent economic umpire to ensure councils achieve competitive urban land markets through the new planning system, Housing and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and RMA Reform Under-Secretary Simon Court say.
An amendment paper to the Government’s Planning Bill will establish the role of an independent Urban Land Market Officer to determine whether urban land markets are competitive, to monitor and report on land market performance, and to advise central government and councils on actions to increase competitiveness.
“For too long, the Resource Management Act (RMA) has acted as a handbrake on growth and opportunity. It is directly responsible for New Zealand’s housing crisis by limiting the supply of urban land and housing – driving up costs for New Zealanders,” Mr Bishop says.
“Our new planning system will deliver the most significant pro-housing reforms in a generation. It will give homeowners more freedom and give prospective homeowners and renters more choice. It will also speed up consenting and create clear and consistent rules across the country. Additionally, private plan change requests will be made much easier.
“A specific goal of the new Planning Bill is for the system to enable competitive urban land markets by making land available to create abundant development opportunities for residential and business use.
“This creates a statutory obligation on councils to ensure that the supply of urban land is responsive to demand such that land prices do not materially or persistently reflect scarcity premiums. In other words, councils will need to be conscious that their planning rules do not create an artificial scarcity of developable land which in turn pushes up land prices.
“This is fundamental to improving housing affordability, supporting economic growth, and accelerating productivity.
“To ensure councils fulfil this obligation, Cabinet has agreed to establish a new Urban Land Market Officer. They will provide independent assurance to government that planning decisions made locally support competitive urban land markets – getting these critical decisions out of the hands of central government politicians and into the hands of experts.
This new officer will focus on monitoring and advising on urban land market competitiveness. It will have functions to:
- develop a framework which would include any thresholds for determining competitiveness set in line with national instruments
- monitor and report on the competitiveness of urban land markets
- require information from local authorities to enable an assessment as to the competitiveness of their urban land markets
- assess the extent land use regulation is impacting the competitiveness of urban land markets
- make formal determinations on whether a land market is competitive or not.
- advise the government on actions to increase competitiveness in land markets
If the Officer makes a determination that a local authority’s actions under the Planning Act have contributed to a non-competitive urban land market, then the local authority will need to take action to address this, such as by progressing a plan change to enable more capacity for housing.
“Monitoring in other markets that have monopolistic characteristics drives better outcomes for New Zealanders – like the Commerce Commission and regulated utilities. Urban land markets are similar as a council effectively controls the supply of urban land and development capacity in an urban market.
“What happens in our land markets matters a great deal to growth, productivity and prosperity and deserves appropriate independent scrutiny.
“This is one of the final pieces in the puzzle of Pillar One of our Going for Housing Growth agenda. The independent officer will help ensure that every council is zoning enough land for housing.
Mr Bishop says that the overriding statutory obligation on councils to ensure competitive urban land markets is on top of agreed government policy to make it easier for cities to expand up and outward through:
- the abolition of rural-urban boundaries,
- Housing Growth Targets which will set a requirement for councils to enable 30 years of feasible development capacity,
- new standardised zones which will provide for a mix of uses across urban areas and not allow for minimum floor areas or balcony requirements, and
- a requirement to upzone around transport corridors.
These policies will be developed through National Policy Direction and National Standards in the new system.
“The government is throwing the kitchen sink at sorting out the fundamentals of housing supply.”
Mr Court says the Officer adds another important accountability mechanism to make sure councils turn the corner from the RMA and start making the decisions needed to deliver the step change these reforms are designed to achieve.
“Regulatory relief and the Planning Tribunal are already key safeguards against the over-regulation that became synonymous with the RMA.
“The Urban Land Market Officer is another lever for driving culture shift, with a clear focus on whether councils are actually enabling enough land for growth.
“For too long councils have been able to weaponise an ever-growing list of ‘effects’, or game theoretical capacity targets, while constraining real development and driving land and house prices to eye-watering levels.
“The Urban Land Market Officer will bring independent expertise, scrutiny, and transparency to that problem. If a council is choking off land supply, there will now be an independent umpire to call it out and require action — without putting those decisions back into politicians’ laps.”
“This is a significant shift that will help ensure the planning system supports rather than hinders the delivery of homes,” Mr Bishop says.
“We’ve also removed all barriers to private plan change applications, allowing developers to request these at any time. In addition, we expect the National Policy Direction to require that where land markets have been found to be uncompetitive by the Independent Officer, the assessment for residential private plan changes will put the ‘finger on the scale’ towards development.
“It is about making sure New Zealand has enough land for homes, businesses, and infrastructure. Being more transparent on planning rules which are holding us back from growth, will help create the conditions for more housing, lower costs, and ultimately better opportunities for New Zealanders.”
Notes to editor:
- An Amendment Paper will shortly be released to create the role and set out its functions and powers in the Planning Bill that will replace the RMA.
- The Officer will be an independent statutory officer within the Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport.
- The Officer will develop and publish a framework for assessing urban land market competitiveness. Using the framework, the Officer will make formal determinations on whether a land market is competitive and publish the reasons for those determinations. Councils will be required to respond to any determinations that find that the council has contributed to a lack of competitiveness.
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/08/19/achieving-competitive-urban-land-markets-in-new-system/
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10. Decisions on Freshwater Farm Plans released
August 19, 2026
Source: New Zealand Government
The Government is making changes to freshwater farm plans to create a simpler, cheaper system focused on real risk, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard say.
“Farmers told us this system was too costly and too complicated for the risk involved on many properties. These changes fix that,” Mr McClay says.
“An Amendment Paper to the Natural Environment Bill, will ensure that where certification is required, it will apply only on the part of the farm where higher risk activity occurs.”
Regulations will now be drafted that deliver on the ACT-National Coalition commitment to improve farm plans, so they are more cost effective and pragmatic for farmers.
“We can now get on with the regulations that will implement the new farm plan system. These regulations will specify the higher risk activities that will trigger the need for a farmer to have their plan certified and audited.” Mr Hoggard says.
Certification and audit will only be required where higher-risk activities are carried out, such as:
- dairy farming
- grazing pigs
- commercial vegetable growing
- using land for feedlots
Other features of the new Freshwater Farm Plan Regulations are:
- trigger points for sheep and beef farming to be considered high risk and need certification and auditing are intensive winter grazing or irrigation on more than 50 hectares or 10 percent of the farm, whichever is greater
- removing unnecessary mapping requirements so that only relevant factors need to be identified,
- streamlining action plan reporting and clarifying the purpose and content of council developed catchment context,
- clarifying the competencies needed for those who can carry out the certification and auditing of plans and removing unnecessary training requirements for practitioners,
- simplifying the audit grading approach with a pass/fail and ‘partially meets’ grade.
“The improved regulations will also allow farmers and industry organisations five years, from when the system is switched on, to develop freshwater farm plans and have them certified, or declared to councils. A re-certification of the plan will only be required every six years, up from the current five-year cycle, with an audit only required once in that six-year cycle.”
This builds on the freshwater farm plan package already announced in August 2025, including lifting the thresholds for requiring a farm plan up from 20ha to 50ha for pastoral and arable farms, and introducing risk based certification.
“All farms that meet the threshold will still need to prepare and hold a farm plan, and declare it to their council, but they will not need it certified or audited if they fit into the lower risk category.”
“We’ve also set up a pathway for Industry Organisations to provide certification and audit services to their members when their plans are delivering equivalent outcomes, avoiding duplication. As a farmer I hate having to do a job twice, especially if it involves paperwork”.
“Once the regulations are in place, we’ll be helping farmers get their plans sorted so they’re ready to go under the new planning system, where they will play a key role.” Mr Hoggard says.
“Taken together, these changes result in a system that is risk-based, focuses on managing those actual water quality risks, avoids unnecessary duplication, and reduces costs,” Mr McClay and Mr Hoggard say.
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/08/19/decisions-on-freshwater-farm-plans-released/
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