Policy and Plan Changes

The Resource Management Act 1991 allows anyone to seek changes to district or regional plans through a request for a private plan change.

Requests for private plan changes enable innovative proposals to be tested through the RMA process and allow applicants to initiate change without waiting for a plan review.

Because of the costly and often lengthy nature of the private plan change process, it is often only used to provide for large-scale developments on large areas of land. Councils and applicants need to work closely together from the start of the process to reduce delays and minimise costs where possible.