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Planning Bill

Combined plan - Land use plans - Core requirements for plan making

78: Land use plan must include standardised plan provisions as directed by national instrument

You could also call this:

"Plans for land use must follow national rules and include standard provisions when told to."

If a national instrument tells you to, you must include a standardised plan provision in your land use plan. You can also include a standardised plan provision if a national instrument says you may do so. You have to follow any rules in the national instrument about including a standardised plan provision. You can only do certain things with a standardised plan provision if a national instrument allows you to. This includes deciding where the provision applies, which provision to use if there are options, and what the provision says within certain limits. You can also choose not to include a standardised plan provision if a national instrument lets you. You cannot change a standardised plan provision once it is included in your plan.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1537720.

This page was last updated on 12 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Environment and resources > Town planningHousing and property > Land use

77: How land use plan is prepared or changed, or

"How to Make or Change a Land Use Plan"

79: Plan may include bespoke plan provisions if authorised or not precluded by national instrument, or

"A plan can have special rules if allowed by national guidelines."

Part 3Combined plan
Land use plans: Core requirements for plan making

78Land use plan must include standardised plan provisions as directed by national instrument

A territorial authority—
must include a standardised plan provision in its land use plan or a proposed land use plan if a national instrument directs it to include that provision; and
may include a standardised plan provision in its plan or a proposed plan if a national instrument directs that it may include that provision; and
must comply with any substantive or procedural requirements in a national instrument relating to a standardised plan provision.

In particular, a territorial authority may do any of the following only if authorised by a national instrument:
determine the spatial application of the standardised plan provision:
select which standardised plan provision, out of 2 or more alternatives set out in the national instrument, it will include in its plan:
determine any content specified by the national instrument from within parameters set out in that instrument:
choose not to include a standardised plan provision.

A territorial authority must not amend a standardised plan provision.