The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop has formally rejected a request from Christchurch City Council for more time to decide on housing intensification rules across the city.
In a letter to Mayor Phil Mauger, the Minister said the Council must meet its existing deadline of 12 December 2025 to finalise decisions on the remaining parts of its Housing and Business Choice Plan Change, known as Plan Change 14.
The Council had sought a nine-month extension until 30 September 2026, citing the Government’s proposed legislation to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA). The Bill, expected to pass in August, could allow councils to opt out of applying higher-density housing rules through Intensification Planning Instruments such as Plan Change 14.
Mayor Phil Mauger said the Minister’s refusal was disappointing.
“An extension from the Minister would’ve meant more time to weigh up whether we want to opt out of further housing intensification and, if so, to go through the proper steps to decide as a council and to apply for that with the Government,” he said.
“As it stands now, our ability to do that by December is up in the air, and we’ll need to await further information from the Government’s Select Committee on the Bill next month to figure out if we can still make an informed decision in time about whether or not to proceed with parts of Plan Change 14.”
A staff report provided to councillors last month warned the Council wouldn’t be able to fully assess its options until the new legislation came into force. It said the necessary evaluation and approval process would likely push beyond the current deadline.
To date, the Council has only made decisions on parts of Plan Change 14 that relate to policies 3 and 4 of the Government’s National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD). These policies require more intensive development in and around the central city, suburban centres, and along major public transport routes.
In March last year, Bishop approved a limited extension covering the Government’s Medium-Density Residential Standards (MDRS), which were proposed to apply to all of urban Christchurch. The Council is still to decide how and where MDRS will apply across the rest of the city.
Under the MDRS, up to three dwellings of up to three storeys can be built on a single property without a resource consent, provided other rules are met.
In his letter, Bishop said further delays would not result in a more efficient process and pointed out that the Independent Hearings Panel had already provided its recommendations in July 2024, giving the Council time to act.
He acknowledged the Council’s position and ongoing work, but said it must still meet the 12 December 2025 deadline.
