Submission on the Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill

Recreation Aotearoa is the leading professional body supporting New Zealand’s recreation sector, advocating for quality experiences that keep people active, healthy, and connected. Its members include those who plan, deliver, and manage community sport, recreation, parks, and outdoor spaces across the country.

Overview of general comments

Recreation Aotearoa acknowledges the Government’s intent to reform the resource management system through the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill. These reforms represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape how New Zealand’s towns and cities grow, adapt to climate change, and support community wellbeing.

However, we are concerned that recreation and public open space are not explicitly recognised as foundational outcomes within the proposed legislation. Evidence consistently shows that informal, place-based activity in parks, green spaces, trails, and neighbourhood environments is the primary way New Zealanders are active. These spaces are critical to physical and mental health, social connection, equity, and climate resilience.

The current drafting risks repeating long-standing issues under the Resource Management Act, where recreation outcomes have been treated as discretionary and negotiated away during development. As cities intensify, this has resulted in the incremental loss of green space that is difficult and costly to replace. Without clear statutory recognition, recreation continues to be subsumed under the narrow concept of amenity, rather than recognised for its role in physical use, access, and wellbeing.

Recreation Aotearoa is also concerned that the proposed shift toward a more permissive planning regime, with a strong emphasis on private property rights and the regulation of only clear, measurable harm, may fail to address the cumulative loss of recreational and public realm values. These risks entrenching hotter, harder, and less liveable cities, at a time when access to nature and open space is increasingly relied upon to mitigate climate impacts and support community resilience.

We submit that the Bills must be read and implemented through a lens that recognises recreation, public open space, and green networks as essential public infrastructure. Clear national direction, consistent benchmarks, and robust planning tools are required to ensure equitable access to high-quality recreation opportunities across all communities.

Read our submission

For more detail, please read:

Submission on the Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill

Questions or feedback

If you have any questions, or want to share your views, contact our Advocacy Manager, Sam Newton by email: sam@nzrecreation.org.nz