NZ’s New Planning Laws to Fast-Track Renewable Energy and Unlock Clean Power Boom

According to Watts, the reforms are designed to unlock New Zealand’s exceptional renewable resources by replacing a slow, costly, and unpredictable consenting regime.

New Zealand is preparing for a significant shift in how renewable energy projects are approved, with Energy Minister Simon Watts announcing that the country’s new planning system will dramatically accelerate the rollout of clean energy infrastructure. According to Watts, the reforms are designed to unlock New Zealand’s exceptional renewable resources by replacing a slow, costly, and unpredictable consenting regime.

A System Holding Back Clean Energy Growth

Watts emphasised that while New Zealand is endowed with world-class renewable assets—wind, hydro, solar and geothermal—the existing planning framework under the Resource Management Act (RMA) has made it “far too slow and costly” to build the generation capacity and infrastructure required for a resilient and competitive economy.

He pointed to a 2022 Infrastructure Commission study by Sapere, revealing that developers collectively spend $1.29 billion every year on consenting, with costs rising 70 percent since 2014. He said the findings are evidence of a system where “paperwork has taken priority over progress,” slowing national efforts to expand domestic energy supply and decarbonise the economy.

Replacing the RMA With a More Efficient System

To address these barriers, the Government is repealing the RMA and introducing two major bills:

• The Planning Bill, focusing on enabling development and land-use regulation.

• The Natural Environment Bill, designed to manage environmental impacts and protect ecosystems.

Watts said the reforms will cut red tape, reduce delays, and provide the certainty required for investors to move forward with renewable projects. Faster approvals will apply not only to generation infrastructure but also to transmission lines, substations, and distribution upgrades critical to a modern, electrified economy.

Momentum Already Building in Energy Investment

Watts highlighted that more electricity generation has been commissioned in the past 18 months than in the previous 15 years combined, signalling renewed investor confidence. The Government forecasts that 95 percent of New Zealand’s electricity will soon come from low-cost renewable sources, driven by clearer national direction and streamlined processes.

To support consistency nationwide, the Government is updating key policy tools, including:

• National Policy Statement for Renewable Electricity Generation (NPS-REG)

• National Policy Statement for Electricity Networks (NPS-EN)

Revised versions of these will guide new national environmental instruments under the replacement legislation, giving decision-makers “absolute clarity” about the strategic importance of renewable energy.

Streamlined Approvals and the Electrify New Zealand Programme

Watts also noted that recent improvements to the RMA—such as longer-duration consents—have provided greater stability for operators, and many of these provisions will transition into the new system.

The Electrify New Zealand programme will serve as a complementary driver of growth, promoting faster and cheaper consenting for projects such as wind farms, large-scale solar arrays, grid-scale batteries, pumped hydro and geothermal expansion. The programme aims to ensure clean electricity is consistently and affordably available for households, industry, and future green-technology sectors.

Legislative Timeline and Public Consultation

The two reform bills will be introduced to Parliament today, with the Government aiming for full enactment in 2026. Once passed, national policy direction will be finalised within nine months, and mandatory national standards will be rolled out in stages to align with regional and local planning requirements.

New Zealanders will have the opportunity to submit feedback during the Select Committee stage, ensuring public participation in reshaping the country’s planning and environmental framework.