Regional Spatial Planning: what we heard across the motu 

After returning from our 11 stop Regional Spatial Planning (RSP) roadshow, one thing is clear – councils across the motu are at different stages with their RSP preparation but they are grappling with many of the same fundamental questions. 

The Taituarā and New Zealand Planning Institute (NZPI) Regional Spatial Planning Roadshow brought together council leaders, planners and other professionals to explore what the new system could mean in practice – and what councils can do now while the legislation continues to take shape. 

Across the events, hundreds of questions were asked of our speakers, many of them falling into a few key areas. We’ve provided a snapshot of the big questions and topics discussed to give you an idea of what the sector is focused on. 

How do we get started? 

The most consistent message was that councils know they need to start preparing, some are underway and others are working out where to start, who needs to be involved and how much they can realistically take on. 

The governance arrangements for establishment, process agreements, Spatial Planning Committees and secretariats featured heavily in questions across almost every region. Councils wanted to know what a good process agreement looks like, who should lead its development, how secretariats should be structured and funded, and how responsibilities should be shared between councils and regional partners. 

There was also a strong appetite for practical tools, templates and examples so that every region does not have to develop its own approach from scratch. 

Regions are already taking different approaches. Some have interim committees, programme teams or project directors in place, while others are still working to secure political and executive commitment. Several are looking at how existing arrangements and partnerships can be adapted rather than starting again. 

Leadership, capacity and funding are critical 

One theme that cut across the regions was the importance of leadership. 

Participants consistently pointed to the need for chief executives, elected members and senior leaders to understand what RSP means and make space for it alongside the many other reforms facing local government. 

In several regions, technical staff are already ahead of elected members. In others, the challenge is securing a clear mandate before work can properly begin. There were repeated questions about how to keep elected members informed, maintain momentum and keep RSP on crowded executive agendas.  A common theme is that Head Start has left little room for discussion with leaders on Regional Spatial Planning. One astute observation made was that the process around Head Start has fractured relationships at the very time when collaboration is needed to get things underway for RSP.  

The message was clear: RSP needs to be treated as a strategic priority for councils, not simply another work programme for planners. 

Capacity and funding were equally pressing concerns. Smaller councils in particular questioned how they could contribute staff to regional teams when resources are already stretched. Participants also wanted clarity about how RSP work should be funded through LTPs and whether central government support will be available. 

There was recognition that the cost extends well beyond producing the plan. Evidence, engagement, governance, hearings and implementation will all require resourcing. 

Different starting points, shared challenges 

The roadshow highlighted significant differences between the regions. 

Some regions are already well advanced, with interim governance arrangements, programme managers and work on a process agreement underway. Others are still establishing the relationships and structures needed to begin. 

The scale and complexity of regions also vary considerably. Some are managing large numbers of councils, others have councils spanning more than one region, while others have complex existing sub-regional arrangements to work through.  

An important starting point is that even if arrangements do change through amalgamation, the first-generation regional spatial plans must be based on the existing regional and unitary council boundaries, and it is mandatory to prepare one.  

Partnership with iwi and Māori 

Questions about iwi and Māori partnership were among the most substantial and consistent across the roadshow. 

Participants were concerned about what genuine partnership looks like in practice – including representation, voting rights, mana whakahono a rohe, treaty settlements, hapū involvement and cross-boundary iwi relationships. 

There was also recognition that iwi and Māori organisations face their own capacity pressures and cannot simply be expected to participate in another major reform process without support. 

The message was that these relationships cannot be added at the end of the process. The approach to developing the RSP – including the process agreement – needs to be designed with partnership in mind from the beginning. 

Making the first RSP count 

Another recurring question was how ambitious the first generation of RSPs should be. 

Participants asked what the “minimum viable” RSP might look like, how much evidence is enough, and how councils can avoid spending years trying to create a perfect document. 

There was growing recognition that the first RSP needs to be fit for purpose rather than perfect. 

That means making strategic choices about what is genuinely regional, building on work that already exists and focusing limited time and resources where they can have the greatest impact. 

There is also a strong desire for RSPs to be more than a statutory compliance exercise. 

Participants asked how RSPs will connect to infrastructure investment, LTPs, regional deals, development levies, climate adaptation and other government investment priorities. The opportunity is to create a shared picture of regional priorities that can help shape future investment and could be a powerful tool to assist with the transition to sub-regional unitary councils. 

A shared opportunity to learn 

Across the 11 roadshow locations, the picture was not one of 11 regions following the same pathway. Some are moving quickly, while others are still establishing the relationships, governance and structures needed to get started. Existing partnerships, regional scale and local circumstances all shape the approach. 

What the roadshow made clear, however, is that no region needs to work through this alone. 

Seeing how other regions are approaching the challenge – what is working, where they are encountering obstacles and the different models being tested – gives councils an opportunity to learn from one another and adapt ideas to their own circumstances. 

That exchange of experience may be one of the roadshow’s most valuable outcomes as regions move from preparing for RSP to making it happen.  

Taituarā  and Te Uru Kahika are collaborating to establish a national RSP LG network with membership from every region – to support the sharing of practice and resources.   

Want more information? 

You can find all the briefing documents from these sessions designed to help councils prepare for Regional Spatial Planning, from governance and partnerships to implementation, on the Taituarā Council Toolkit. Whether you attended and want to look over the information or you realised you should have been there – they are available at no cost to all Council kaimahi.  

If you don’t already you’ll just need to sign up for a MyTaituarā log in to access the Council Toolkit.  

Visit the Taituarā Council Toolkit 

You can also find updated information on the Taituarā website reform page about the latest updates including information about upcoming webinars to register for and previous webinars to watch.