A planning framework for Canterbury/Waitaha
The resources of New Zealand/Aotearoa are currently managed under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). This over-arching legislation promotes the sustainable management of natural and physical resources.
Resource Management Act responsibilities
National direction supports local decision-making under the Resource Management Act, and is provided by government ministries through national policy statements (NPS), national environmental standards (NES), and national planning standards.
These documents cover a range of topics - from urban development, highly productive land and electricity transmission to the coastal environment and freshwater management.
The Government has signalled it wishes to make changes to the RMA and while we don't yet know the precise nature or timing of these changes, we are engaging with Ministers and key agencies to enable Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) to respond quickly when required, to ensure we apply any new legislation and keep our stakeholders and communities informed.
When preparing a regional policy statement or regional plan for Waitaha, we must give effect to these national documents, as well as resource management regulations and Water Conservation orders - other planning tools enabled through the RMA.
This is achieved by ensuring that our objectives and policies align with those of national legislation – through a Waitaha lens that reflects the unique environments and communities of the region.
The planning framework for Waitaha includes a regional policy statement, to which regional and district plans give effect. The Canterbury Regional Policy Statement (CRPS) provides an overview of significant resource management issues for Waitaha and identifies the policy approaches that councils will use to resolve those issues. Having been ten years since the last CRPS became operative, a replacement CRPS is currently in the draft stage and is expected to be notified by the end of 2024.
Regional and district plans implement those policy approaches by identifying the limits, targets, rules and other methods for the protection, use and development of natural and physical resources.
The national planning standards outline the pathway for a more integrated approach to preparing and implementing planning documents.
Resource management system reform
The Government is currently in the process of reforming the resource management system in New Zealand/Aotearoa. This reform will include replacing the Resource Management Act (RMA), with transition to the new system likely to take around 10 years.
Find out more about the reform on the Ministry for the Environment website.
Find out more about the current state of the environment
Canterbury/Waitaha overview Air Biodiversity Climate change Land Natural character Natural hazards Urban development Water