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Natural Environment Bill

Combined plan and other matters - National environment plans - Review of natural environment plans

112: Review of provisions in natural environment plan at least every 10 years

You could also call this:

"Checking and updating natural environment rules every 10 years"

Illustration for Natural Environment Bill

You will have a say in how the natural environment is protected. A regional council must review some rules in a natural environment plan every 10 years. They must check if the rules need to be changed. If the council thinks a rule should be changed, they will create a new plan and ask for your feedback, following the rules in Schedule 3 of the Planning Act 2025. If they think a rule is fine, they will still create a new plan with the old rule and ask for your feedback, following the same rules. Just because a rule is being reviewed, it does not stop being a rule. A regional council can choose to review all the rules at once, even if they were changed recently, and create a new plan for feedback. You can have your say when they ask for feedback on the new 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=LMS1526783.

This page was last updated on 14 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Environment and resources > ConservationEnvironment and resources > Town planningGovernment and voting > Local councils

111: Obligations relating to regulatory relief in Schedule 3 of Planning Act 2025, or

"Rules to follow if a plan limits your land use"

113: Requirements for rules that control fishing, or

"Rules for Controlling Fishing in New Zealand's Coastal Waters"

Part 3Combined plan and other matters
National environment plans: Review of natural environment plans

112Review of provisions in natural environment plan at least every 10 years

A regional council must commence a review of a provision in a natural environment plan if that provision has not been subject to any of the following in the previous 10 years:
a proposed plan or private plan change:
a review under this section.

If, after reviewing the provision, the regional council considers that the provision should be amended, the regional council must prepare and notify for submissions (in accordance with Schedule 3 of the Planning Act 2025) a proposed plan to amend or replace the provision.
If, after reviewing the provision, the regional council considers that the provision does not need to be amended, the regional council must prepare and notify for submissions (in accordance with Schedule 3 of the Planning Act 2025) a proposed plan that includes the provision unchanged.
A provision in a natural environment plan does not cease to be operative because the provision is due for review, or is being reviewed, under this section.
To avoid doubt, a regional council may choose to comply with this section by carrying out a full review of all provisions in its natural environment plan (regardless of when those provisions became operative or were last reviewed) and proceeding to prepare and notify for submissions a proposed plan.