Plan Amendment 3 (National Planning Standards)

The One Plan was amended on 27 February 2024 to give effect to the National Planning Standards. The Standards set out requirements of a nationally consistent structure, format, definitions, mapping, noise and vibration metrics, and electronic functionality and accessibility for RMA planning documents. This means that the provisions of the One Plan have been restructured and renumbered, and some defined terms have been added or changed.

The following documents have been developed to assist One Plan users compare the new version of the One Plan with the previous version.

Combined Plan Structure Standard

The text and provisions (e.g. objectives and policies) in the One Plan have been relocated to new chapters based on the Combined Plan Structure Standard. Consequential amendments have been made to some sections of the One Plan to avoid conflict with the required amendments to the document structure. For example, the explanatory text outlining how to read the One Plan has been amended to align with the new structure. Some chapters have been merged, for example, regional plan Chapters 14, 16, 17 and the land component of 13 have been merged into a single domain chapter: RP – LF – Land and freshwater. Other chapters have been split up with provisions rehoused in the most appropriate topic chapter, for example, regional policy statement Chapter 6 has been split in four: RPS – ECO – Ecosystems and indigenous biodiversity, RPS – HCV – Historical and cultural and values, RPS – NATC – Natural character and RPS – NFL – Natural features and landscapes.

The following document shows a diagram of the relationship between the new operative One Plan (as amended by PA3 2024) and the previous version (as amended by PA2 2022).

Introduction and General Provision Standard

The new Purpose chapter ‘what is the One Plan’ has been edited to explain the new structure.

Glossary terms are now housed in the Definitions chapter.

An Abbreviations chapter (mandatory) has been populated as required (new content).

National direction instruments chapters (mandatory) have been populated as required (new content).
 

Format Standard

Provisions have all been given new unique identifiers to implement the Format Standard, and sections and sub-sections have been utilised within large chapters to aid navigation. For example, Policy 4-1 is now RPS-LF-LAND-P1.

The following document provides a complete cross-reference of the new operative One Plan's unique identifiers (as amended by PA3 2024) and the previous version's unique identifiers (as amended by PA2 2022).

Regional Spatial Layers Standard

The One Plan utilises a number of spatial layers which are inconsistent with the naming conventions of the Regional Spatial Layers Standard. These names have been changed as follows:
 

Planning Standards name	Previous name
General Zone	General Activity Management Area
Port Zone	Port Activity Management Area
Protection Zone	Protection Activity Management Area
Aquaculture Precinct	Aquaculture Management Area
Whanganui River maintenance specific controls 1. Dredging SC1 2. Dredging SC2	Whanganui River Maintenance Areas 1. Dredging Area 1 2. Dredging Area 2
Disposal grounds [a specific control]	Discharge Areas
Water Management Area	Water Management Zone
Water Management Sub-area	Water Management Sub-zone
Groundwater Management Area	Groundwater Management Zone
Airsheds	Airsheds
Costal Marine Area	Costal Marine Area
Seawater Management Area	Seawater Management Zone
Estuary Water Management Sub-area	Estuary Water Management Sub-zone
Floodway and land prone to flooding [an overlay]	Floodway and area prone to flooding
Hill Country Erosion Management Site	Hill Country Erosion Management Area [not a spatial layer]

Mapping Standard

No changes have been made; the One Plan is already consistent with the Mapping Standard.
 

Definitions Standard

A number of definitions have been changed to comply with the Definitions Standard. To avoid altering the effect of the One Plan, a number of consequential amendments have been made to provisions. For example, the One Plan tends to exempt certain activities from rules by excluding those activities in relevant definitions. This approach cannot continue, so the relevant exclusions have been moved to the provisions themselves.

The following definitions have not yet been changed or added to give effect to the Definitions Standard: aquifer, bore, building, cultivation, drain, earthworks, fertiliser, functional need, groundwater, land disturbance, operational need, quarry, reclamation and stormwater. These definitions will be changed to give effect to the Definitions Standard using a Schedule 1 process as soon as practicable.

The following document provides and outline of the changes made to give effect to the Definitions Standard.

A tracked changes version of PA3 showing replaced definitions, and consequential amendments can be made available on request. Email oneplan@horizons.govt.nz

Where RMA definitions have been included in the definitions chapter, ^ has been replaced by * (not shown in tracked changes).
 

Noise and Vibration Metrics Standard

Relevant only to regional coastal plan (RCP-CMA-NOISE-R27 and RCP-CMA-R29). The One Plan is already consistent with this Standard, no changes made.
 

Selected changes made under c20A

RCP-CMA-MTU-R17

The rule title and activity description of RCP-CMA-MTU-R17 have been amended to remove references to the Port Zone. As the matters of control for this rule already restricts the dredging to the dredging specific controls in RCP-SCHED9, this does not change the effect of the rule.
 

Changes made under s44A

The title of the National Environmental Standard for Air Quality has been updated.