RMA Reset Review
Your consent was granted under the old rules. Some of its conditions may no longer be needed.
The Planning Act 2026 and the Natural Environment Act 2026 will replace the Resource Management Act (RMA) after a transition period, and in the meantime the Planning Act amends the RMA itself. From 30 October 2026, when councils consider the effects of a land use activity, they must disregard a set of residential matters they have routinely assessed and often attached conditions to: the area of glazing, whether there are balconies, outdoor living space, internal layout, the size of a residential unit, and the size of landscaped areas (except for permeability). The exception is where historic heritage is being protected.
Many people already hold consents with conditions on exactly these things. If your consent has been granted but not yet built, or is only part built, some of those conditions may no longer be justified now that the amendments apply.
An RMA Reset Review checks your existing consent against the amended RMA, identifies conditions that may be removed or relaxed, and gives you a clear answer on whether it is worth pursuing.
What we do
We review your consent, its conditions and the approved plans against the amended RMA. We identify conditions that may be removed or relaxed to reduce build cost, and flag any opportunity to improve yield. Where it stacks up, we apply to council to change the conditions under section 127 of the RMA. If a revised design would only need a new consent because of those matters, we can ask council for a notice treating it as a permitted activity instead.
Consent and conditions review
A desktop review of your consent, conditions and approved plans against the matters councils must disregard under the amendments.
Cost saving opportunities
Balconies, glazing, outdoor living areas and landscaping may no longer need to be built the way your conditions say. We identify where that may apply.
Section 127 applications
Where a change stacks up, we prepare and lodge the application to change or cancel conditions, and manage it through to a decision.
Permitted activity notices
Where a design breaches rules only on the matters councils must now disregard, council may give a written notice under new section 104AA treating it as a permitted activity, instead of requiring a new consent. It is at council's discretion, and it does not change the conditions of an existing consent.
Who it is for
Developers and builders holding residential consents that are not yet built or are part built, and anyone carrying consent conditions they would rather not have.
The best candidates are recent medium-density and multi-unit consents in the Wellington region: the Hutt Valley, Wellington, Porirua and Kāpiti.
Not every consent will benefit. A section 127 change cannot turn a consent into a different development, so larger changes to yield may still need a new consent. That is exactly what the review is for: a clear answer before you spend more.
Fixed-fee packages
Reset Review
$1,600 + GST
A desktop review of your consent, conditions and approved plans against the amended RMA. You get a short memo setting out what may change, where there may be cost savings, and the recommended pathway.
Reset Application
$4,500 + GST
We prepare and lodge the section 127 application or permitted activity request, and manage it through to a decision. Council processing fees are extra.
All prices exclude GST. Our Terms of Trade apply.
Common questions
My consent is already granted. Does the change affect it?
Not automatically. Your consent and its conditions stay as they are unless you apply to change them. The review tells you which conditions relate to matters councils must disregard under the amendments, and whether changing them is worth it.
What is a section 127 application?
Section 127 of the RMA lets a consent holder apply to change or cancel the conditions of their consent. It is narrower than a new consent: it can adjust how a development is built, but it cannot turn it into a different development.
Will this save me money or get me more units?
It may. Some consents carry conditions that add cost and may no longer be justified, and some may have an opportunity to improve yield. Others will not benefit at all. The Reset Review is a fixed fee so you can find out which group you are in before committing to anything more.
What do you need from me?
Your consent decision, the conditions and the approved plans. If you have them as PDFs, that is all we need to start.
Book an RMA Reset Review
Email us your consent number or decision and we will tell you whether a review is likely to be worthwhile.