The long-awaited replacement for the Resource Management Act has been brought to Parliament, with the government promising massive cost-cutting for housing, farmers and councils.

Environment Minister David Parker, announcing the introduction of the Natural and Built Environments and Spatial Planning Bills to Parliament this afternoon, says savings of about $10 billion over 30 years were estimated.

The savings for housing affordability alone - from things like freed up land for building and faster and cheaper consenting - were estimated at $146m a year - and costs to applicants were expected to fall by 19 percent a year, or $149m.

"Developers, infrastructure providers and businesses will see the largest costs savings as consent volumes and costs decrease, savings hundreds of millions of dollars a year," he says.

"The new resource management system will deliver economic and environmental benefits. For every $1 spent the new system is expected to deliver $2.58 to $4.90 in benefits."

The new system will be rolled out to three regions once the legislation is passed next year, before expanding to the other 12. It was not clear which regions would be the testing ground.

How it will work

Councils will continue to process and approve most resource consents, although new standards will provide "off-the-shelf" planning for project types that often require consents, with bespoke specifications built in.

Some consents - for instance, those of national significance, those more likely to be appealed, or those with strong community benefits - could however be handled through other pathways like a board of inquiry.

Separately, a fast-tracking system similar to the one used during the pandemic - which the government said had reduced consenting time by 15 months for significant infrastructure projects - would remain in place.

The new system would introduce a new National Planning Framework - replacing the more than 20 National Policy Statements, Environmental Standards, and National Planning Standards - to provide a single direction for urban development, freshwater management and highly productive land policy for the whole country.

The government will set out 15 Regional Planning Committees - with at least six members, coming from councils, central government and at least two members appointed by local Māori - who would be responsible for setting strategy and plans.

Each committee would write a Regional Spatial Strategy detailed in the Spatial Planning Act, setting expectations of how each region is expected to develop over time - looking 30 years ahead and reviewed every nine years.

These will be followed by Natural and Built Environment Plans, setting out specific land use and resource allocation rules for each region. These plans are expected to allow more activities than the current rules allow, reducing the need for some consents.

NBEs would be subject to public consultation, reviewed by an independent panel and would require engagement with mana whenua.

Parker says these will allow some of the planning and consenting process to be front-ended, allowing the committees to set out where certain infrastructure or building was required, making it clearer what kinds of building would be allowed in which areas.

The 15 NBE and 15 RSS plans will be created by Regional Planning Committees and replace the more than 100 district and regional plans required by the current system.

Councils will also set their own long-term aspirations and vision through "outcome statements".

Infrastructure Minister Grant Robertson says while some positive effects will be seen from 2023, the system is not expected to be fully implemented for about 10 years.

He says such a significant change will take time to get right.

Decision-makers will be required to give effect to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

An independent National Māori Entity will monitor Te Tiriti performance within the system and give input on the National Planning Framework.

A third related piece of legislation - the Climate Adaptation Act, setting out things like how managed retreat from coastlines would work and who would pay for that - is set to be introduced next year, expected to be passed in 2024.

NPFs will also be required to align with Emissions Reductions and National Adaptation plans.

The three bills are set to replace the 30-year-old Resource Management Act, which has over time become unwieldy.

Parker says there have been 23 main amendments to the RMA, and the costs of consents have increased dramatically over the years.

"The current system is broken. It takes too long, costs too much and has not adequately provided for development nor protected the environment," he says.

"There is clear evidence resource consenting has become more costly, with council fees for notified consents more than doubling between 2015 and 2019. Costs for mid-sized infrastructure projects are up 70 percent in the same period."