The Rt Hon Dame CINDY KIRO, gnzm, qso, Governor-General

Order in Council

At Wellington this 15th day of December 2025

Present:

Her Excellency the Governor-General in Council

Pursuant to section 52(2) of the Resource Management Act 1991, Her Excellency the Governor-General, acting on the advice and with the consent of the Executive Council and on the recommendation of the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform for the Environment (having satisfied the requirements of that Act), approves the National Policy Statement for Renewable Electricity Generation Amendment 2025.

This National Policy Statement is published by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform for the Minister for the Environment under section 52(3) of the Resource Management Act 1991.

1. Title

This is the National Policy Statement for Renewable Electricity Generation Amendment 2025.

2. Commencement

This amendment to the National Policy Statement comes into force on 15 January 2026.

3. Principal Instrument

This instrument amends the National Policy Statement for Renewable Electricity Generation 2011 (New Zealand Gazette, 14 April 2011, No. 51, page 1180).

4. Commencement Clause Amended

Replace the commencement section with:

“1.2 Commencement

(1) This National Policy Statement came into force on 13 May 2011.

(2) See Part 3 for timeframes for giving effect to this National Policy Statement.”

5. New Application Clause

After commencement, insert:

“1.3 Application

The National Policy Statement for Renewable Electricity Generation applies across the whole of New Zealand.”

6. Interpretation Amended

Renumber the interpretation section as 1.4.

Replace the chapeau with:

“(1) In this National Policy Statement:”

In the definition of “Decision-makers” replace “all” with “any”.

Replace the definition of “Distribution network” with:

Electricity networks has the same meaning as in the National Policy Statement for Electricity Transmission 2008 and its amendments.

Revoke the definitions:

“Distributor” and “National grid”.

Replace “hydro-electricity” in the definition of “renewable electricity generation” with “hydro”.

Replace the definition of “Renewable electricity generation activities” with:

“Renewable electricity generation (REG) activities include the full range of activities required for REG, including small-scale and community-scale REG, including:

1. the investigation, construction, operation, monitoring, maintenance, upgrade, repowering, decommissioning and removal of REG assets;
2. the storage of generated electricity, whether connected to REG, the electricity network or directly to a site or community;
3. the conveyance of generated electricity to electricity networks or directly to end users;
4. all ancillary REG activities; but
5. does not include electricity network assets as defined by the National Policy Statement for Electricity Transmission 2008 and its amendments.

Replace the definition of “Small and community-scale distributed electricity generation” with:

“Small scale renewable electricity generation (REG) means REG where the primary purpose is to provide electricity for on-site use at an individual site, or to a telecommunications facility.”

And:

“Community-scale renewable electricity generation (REG) means REG with the primary purpose of supplying electricity to a community.”

Insert new definitions:

“Ancillary renewable electricity generation (REG) activities mean an activity that supports and is subsidiary to a REG activity including but not limited to:

1. vegetation clearance and tree trimming;
2. earthworks and land disturbance;
3. construction, maintenance, repair and upgrading of access tracks, bridges and culverts; and
4. construction, maintenance, repair and upgrading of power supply and telecommunication cables and devices.

Existing renewable electricity generation (REG) assets and activities means REG assets and activities that are:

1. lawfully established and constructed; or
2. authorised by an unimplemented resource consent or designation, or by another authorisation, that has not lapsed.

Existing renewable electricity generation (REG) site means the site or sites as defined in any applicable resource consent(s), designations, or by another authorisation, that is used to generate, store and convey electricity, including all REG assets and activities.

Functional need has the same meaning as the National Planning Standards 2019.

Operational need has the same meaning as the National Planning Standards 2019.

Renewable electricity generation (REG) assets mean the physical components and structures for REG, including small-scale and community-scale REG, and includes:

1. the supporting infrastructure required for ancillary REG activities and to generate and store electricity, such as monitoring equipment, cabling, access tracks and roads; and
2. the infrastructure required to convey generated and stored electricity to electricity networks or directly to end users.

Repowering means in relation to existing REG assets generating electricity from wind or solar sources, the whole or partial replacement of REG assets within an existing REG site to increase generation capacity and output and/or extend the operational life of the REG asset.

Resilience means the capacity of REG assets to absorb and recover from a shock or disruption, or adapt to changing conditions, while retaining an appropriate level of service as determined by the renewable electricity generation provider.

Upgrading means in relation to existing REG activities, improving the capacity, efficiency, safety, security, resilience, reliability, flexibility or longevity of existing REG assets.”

Delete “Terms given meaning in the Act have the meanings so given” and insert:

“(2) Terms defined in the Act and used in the National Policy Statement have the meaning in the Act, unless otherwise specified.”

Insert new clause at end of Interpretation:

“(3) Terms defined in the National Planning Standards issued under section 58E of the Act and used in this National Policy Statement have the meanings in that Standard, unless otherwise specified.”

7. Insert New Clause “Incorporation by Reference”

Insert new clause:

“1.5 Incorporation by Reference

Clause 2(1) of Schedule 1AA of the Act does not apply to any material incorporated by reference in this National Policy Statement.”

8. Matters of National Significance

Revoke section “Matters of National Significance”.

9. Objective

Replace the Objective with:

“2.1 Objective

(3) The objective of this National Policy Statement is to:

1. ensure the national, regional and local benefits of REG are provided for;
2. enable REG capacity and output to significantly increase;
3. enable REG to support the social, economic and cultural well-being of people and communities, and for their health and safety;
4. enable REG to provide greater security of electricity supply and resilience to supply disruptions to all people and communities;
5. enable REG to support achieving New Zealand’s emission reduction target and implementation of the emissions reduction plan under the Climate Change Response Act 2002; and
6. ensure REG is developed and operated in a safe, efficient and effective manner while managing the adverse effects from or on REG activities.”

10. Policies

Replace Policy A with:

“Policy A: National Significance and Benefits of Renewable Electricity Generation

(1) Decision-makers on REG activities must recognise and provide for the national significance and the national, regional and local benefits of REG activities.

(2) Decision-makers must recognise that the benefits of REG activities include:

1. avoiding, reducing and displacing greenhouse gas emissions;
2. contributing to the security, resilience and independence of electricity supply at local, regional and national scales through diverse REG sources and electricity storage in diverse locations;
3. providing for the social, economic and cultural well-being of people and communities and for their health and safety;
4. using renewable rather than finite sources of energy;
5. avoiding reliance on imported and domestic fossil fuels for the purposes of generating electricity;
6. the temporary and reversible nature of adverse effects on the environment of some REG technologies;
7. reducing electricity losses by locating REG activities close to electricity demand and existing electricity networks; and
8. reducing adverse effects by:
1. co-locating REG with other appropriate REG assets and activities and other appropriate infrastructure and activities; and
2. locating REG activities to minimise adverse effects on other activities.”

Replace Policy B with:

“Policy B: Considering Cumulative Gains and Losses of Renewable Electricity Generation Capacity

(1) Decision-makers on REG assets and activities must recognise and provide for the importance of:

1. enabling cumulative increases of REG capacity and output at any scale and any location including small-scale and community-scale REG assets and activities; and
2. avoiding, where practicable, any overall or cumulative losses of REG capacity and output from a region, district or existing REG assets and activities.

(2) Decision-makers must have regard to any potential and reasonably foreseeable, reduction in the utilisation of renewable electricity resources due to inappropriate subdivision, use and development.”

Replace Policy C1 with:

“Policy C: Operational Need or Functional Need for REG Assets and Activities to be in Particular Locations and Environments

(1) Decision-makers must recognise and provide for REG assets and activities that have an operational need or functional need to be in particular locations and environments.

(2) Decision-makers must recognise that the operational need or functional need of REG assets and activities includes, but is not limited to, the need to:

1. be located where a renewable electricity resource is located and available at a viable scale and quality to sustain the REG activity;
2. be accessible to connect to electricity networks and be nearby to electricity demand; and
3. have sufficient and accessible land available to support all associated current and reasonably foreseeable future REG activities at that particular location.

(3) An assessment of alternative sites is not required to demonstrate that an operational or functional need exists.”

Amend Policy C2 by:

1. renumbering it as Policy F (5); and
2. replace “renewable electricity generation” with “REG assets and”.

Replace Policy D with:

“Policy D: Protecting existing REG assets and activities from other activities

Decision-makers must protect existing REG assets and activities, to the extent reasonably possible, from the adverse effects of new activities including by avoiding reverse sensitivity effects.”

Revoke Policies E1, E2, E3, E4, F and G.

Insert new Policies:

“Policy E: Recognising and Providing for Māori Interests

(1) Decision-makers must recognise and provide for Māori interests in relation to REG assets and activities including by:

1. taking into account the outcome of any engagement with tangata whenua on a relevant resource consent, notice of requirement or private plan change;
2. recognising the opportunities tangata whenua may have in developing and operating their own REG activities at any scale or in partnership; and
3. local authorities:
1. providing opportunities for tangata whenua involvement where REG assets and activities may affect a site of significance or issue of cultural significance to Māori; and
2. operating in a way that is consistent with relevant iwi participation legislation or Mana Whakahono ā Rohe.

Policy F: Enabling and Managing the Effects of REG Assets and Activities on the Environment

(1) Decision-makers must enable REG assets and activities in all locations and environments.

(2) Where REG assets and activities are proposed to locate in or are likely to have adverse effects on environments and values provided for in section 6 of the Act, the provisions of this policy must be read alongside other relevant national direction, regional policy statements and regional and district plans.

(3) Where (2) does not apply the adverse effects of REG assets and activities must be, where practicable, avoided, remedied, or mitigated.

(4) Decision-makers must have particular regard to the use of adaptive management measures.

Policy G: Providing for the Operation and Maintenance of Existing REG Assets and Activities

(1) Decision-makers must enable the efficient operation and maintenance of existing REG assets and activities in all locations and environments.

Policy H: Reconsenting, Upgrading and Repowering Existing REG Assets and Activities

(1) For reconsenting, upgrading and repowering of existing REG assets and activities, decision-makers must:

1. Recognise that existing REG assets form part of the existing environment;
2. take into account the extent to which the effects of the proposed REG assets and activities are different in scale, intensity, duration and frequency from the effects of existing REG assets and activities;
3. have particular regard to the efficiencies and environmental benefits of increasing REG capacity and output within the same REG site; and
4. provide flexibility for changes in consent conditions to enable the upgrading of existing REG assets and activities, including adapting to new technologies.”

11. Timing

Revoke policies H1 and H2.

12. New Clause 3.1 Inserted

Insert:

“3.1 Timing

(1) Decision-makers must give effect to this national policy statement on and from the commencement date.”

13. Monitoring and Reviewing the Implementation and Effectiveness of the National Policy Statement

Revoke section “Monitoring and reviewing the implementation and effectiveness of the national policy statement”.

Dated at Wellington this 15th day of December 2025.

Hon CHRIS BISHOP for the Minister for the Environment.