New guidance has been released by MCERT to help councils prepare for regional spatial planning under the new planning system, with a focus on getting the foundations in place before major planning decisions are made.
Guidance for Initial Stages of Regional Spatial Planning, outlines the practical steps councils can take now to prepare for developing their regional spatial plans.
Under the new system, every region will be required to develop a spatial plan setting out its long-term strategic direction for growth, infrastructure, land use and environmental outcomes over the next 30 years and beyond.
With draft regional spatial plans due to be notified by 30 June 2028, the guidance encourages councils to begin preparing now, even while national policy direction and standards are still being developed.
What should councils be doing now?
The guidance identifies five priorities for local authorities:
- Build relationships: Strengthen connections between councils, iwi authorities, central government, infrastructure providers and other key partners. Existing relationships and engagement arrangements provide a useful starting point.
- Build the evidence base: Bring together existing regional data, plans and strategies, including information on population growth, infrastructure capacity, natural hazards, environmental constraints and economic opportunities. Identify gaps or inconsistencies that may need addressing.
- Develop a shared regional vision: Begin conversations about the region’s long-term future, the challenges and opportunities it faces, and the outcomes councils and their partners want to achieve.
- Assess capability and readiness: Identify the skills, resources and capacity needed to support spatial planning. This includes technical planning expertise, data and modelling, governance, engagement and programme management.
- Establish governance arrangements: Begin agreeing how councils will work together, make decisions, share costs and coordinate the development of their regional spatial plan.
Importantly, the guidance recommends holding off on major decisions about regional strategic direction and preferred spatial outcomes until national policy direction, standards and central government participation arrangements are in place. This will help avoid unnecessary rework.
Getting governance arrangements right
A significant part of the guidance focuses on three key components that councils will need to establish.
Process agreements will set out how local authorities work together to develop their regional spatial plan. These must address matters such as decision-making responsibilities, funding, consultation, the establishment of a secretariat and existing Treaty settlement and iwi participation obligations.
Spatial plan committees will provide the governance and regional coordination needed to develop the plans. Councils can establish a new committee or adapt an existing one. Committees must include at least one member with knowledge, skills and experience in te ao Māori and Māori development.
Secretariats will provide the technical and administrative support needed to develop, implement and review regional spatial plans. The guidance does not prescribe a single operating model, allowing regions to choose arrangements that reflect their size, resources and existing capabilities.
The guidance also emphasises consensus-based decision-making, early engagement with tangata whenua and other stakeholders, and clear arrangements for managing disagreements between participating councils.
The guidance also includes a practical checklist (page 32 of the guidance) to support regional conversations about process agreements, spatial plan committees and secretariats.
Key dates to be aware of
- 30 September 2027: National Policy Direction and spatial planning standards are due to be issued.
- 30 June 2028: Deadline for notifying draft regional spatial plans.
- Within nine months of notification: Decisions on changes to draft plans following hearings of submissions are due.
Taituarā developing templates to support councils
To help councils navigate these new requirements, Taituarā is working with Simpson Grierson to develop templates for process agreements and spatial plan committee terms of reference.
These resources will support councils to establish the governance and working arrangements needed for regional spatial planning and will be made available on the Taituarā website.
Read the full Guidance for Initial Stages of Regional Spatial Planning on the Ministry’s planning website.
