New standards aim to reduce consenting costs for electricity and telecommunications infrastructure
The government has completed its overhaul of national direction under the Resource Management Act (RMA), introducing new standards to simplify planning and consenting requirements for electricity and telecommunications infrastructure.
Attorney General Chris Bishop announced that the government had developed or amended 16 national direction instruments over two years to remove regulatory barriers affecting housing, infrastructure, energy, and the primary sector.
The final changes involve the National Environmental Standards for Electricity Network Activities (NES-ENA) and the National Environmental Standards for Telecommunication Facilities (NES-TF).
The new standards set nationally consistent rules for infrastructure activities, including when operators can undertake work without obtaining resource consent.
“Requiring a consent for routine or low-impact work costs money, takes time and can delay investment without necessarily delivering a better environmental outcome,” Bishop said in a statement.
The NES-ENA expands the existing regulatory framework, which previously focused primarily on the national transmission grid under standards introduced in 2009.
Electricity distribution networks, including local power lines and poles, have largely operated under differing council planning requirements.
The revised standards establish consistent rules for maintenance, upgrades, new distribution infrastructure, electric vehicle charging facilities, and protection against incompatible development near electricity networks.
Bishop said the changes would reduce unnecessary consenting requirements for routine activities, including earthworks, vegetation clearance, and infrastructure upgrades.
He noted that Transpower had previously spent approximately $14 million seeking protection for the National Grid corridor through individual council planning processes.
The NES-TF reforms address telecommunications planning requirements introduced in 2016, which Bishop said no longer adequately accommodate modern network equipment.
The revised standards permit larger antennas and cabinets where appropriate, simplify the installation of telecommunications poles, and support continued deployment of 5G technology.
They also allow additional backup battery capacity, temporary telecommunications facilities during emergencies or maintenance, and small-scale renewable energy generation in remote areas.
Other changes facilitate rural connectivity through taller telecommunications poles and establish clearer pathways for fibre connections to heritage buildings.
Officials estimate the reforms could save between $40 million and $50 million in planning and consenting costs over the next decade.
The government consulted publicly on both standards in 2025 and received feedback from local government, iwi authorities, infrastructure providers, industry groups, and environmental organisations.
The government designed the national direction programme to support the transition from existing resource management laws to the replacement planning system under the Planning Act and Natural Environment Act.
