What the legislation record says
The NZ Legislation API, run by the Parliamentary Counsel Office, lists these Acts as in force:
- Planning Act 2026: in force, version as at 30 Sep 2026. Its commencement section says: “This Act comes into force on the day after Royal assent, with some exceptions.” Read the Act.
- Natural Environment Act 2026: in force, version as at 30 Sep 2026. Its commencement section says: “This Act comes into force on the day after Royal assent, with some exceptions.” Read the Act.
The same source still shows the Resource Management Act 1991 in force. So for now, two systems sit side by side: the new Acts, and the RMA with the plans and rules made under it.
What the two Acts replace
- Planning Act 2026: Replaces the planning parts of the RMA: land use plans and planning consents.
- Natural Environment Act 2026: Replaces the natural resource parts of the RMA: water, coast, natural resource permits and freshwater farm plans.
Which rules govern a particular block during the change-over, and when a council’s plans move across, isn’t something a national record can tell you. That is the council’s to answer.
If you’re buying rural land now
Most of what you’ll check doesn’t change overnight: the title, legal road access, what’s next door, flooding and the LIM. What the change-over adds is uncertainty about which rules apply, and when that changes. Questions worth putting to the council, in writing:
- Which plan and rules apply to this block today, and is any of it already under the new Acts?
- When is the district or regional plan expected to be replaced, and is anything proposed that would affect this block?
- Is there a resource consent on this block, or one applied for, and which law is it under?
- Does the LIM reflect the new Acts? Note the date the LIM was issued.
And to your lawyer: whether the sale and purchase agreement should be conditional on anything the answers turn up, such as a consent you’re relying on.
How Lotline follows the change
Lotline checks the national rules every day against the NZ Legislation API, and shows a status or a date only when the legislation record confirms it. Each block report lists the national rules that may touch that block, and the block’s change record picks up what changes in the records about it from month to month.