NRP PC1 Variation 1 - Consultation

Wellington Regional Council (Greater Wellington Regional Council) has prepared Proposed Plan Change 1 to the Natural Resources Plan for the Wellington Region (Plan Change 1), it is partly a standard plan change and partly a freshwater planning instrument.

Plan Change 1 focuses on:

• Management of freshwater and coastal water within Te Whanganui-a-Tara and Te Awarua-o-Porirua whaitua and in doing so, it implements the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 within those whaitua;
• Amendments to the air quality rules;
• Amendments to the beds of lakes and rivers rules; and
• New sites with significant indigenous biodiversity values.

Proposed Plan Change 1 to the Natural Resources Plan (PC1) is currently paused effective from 26 June 2025. The plan change process will resume when there is greater certainty on the direction of the amended National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (which may be post-Cabinet decisions and prior to gazettal).

Find out more about the decision to pause PC1 and minute from the Hearing Panel

Variation 1 to Plan Change 1 to the Natural Resources Plan resolves implementation issues relating to stormwater provisions as currently drafted while the plan change process is paused. The variation is limited to changes to the permitted activity rules P.R5 and WH.R5 (stormwater from new and redeveloped impervious surfaces) and Schedule 30 (collection of financial contributions). The Variation 1 to Plan Change 1 and associated Section 32 report showing all the changes being proposed and the reasons for the changes are available here:

• Proposed Change 1 to the Natural Resources Plan for the Wellington Region (December 2025) (PDF 3.4 MB)
• Variation 1 PC1 Section 32 evaluation report (PDF 905 KB)

Physical copies of these documents can also be viewed at:

Greater Wellington Regional Council - Wellington office, 100 Cuba Street, Te Aro, Wellington

The process we'll follow

Variation 1 to Plan Change 1 of the NRP is not part of a 'freshwater planning instrument', therefore it will proceed through the standard process for preparing a regional plan change under Part 1 of Schedule 1 of the Resource Management Act 1991. 

Submissions on Variation 1 to Plan Change 1 to the Natural Resources Plan have now closed

Submissions received: 9

Submission period: 1 December – 31 January

Summary of submissions on PC1 Variation 1: PC1 Variation 1 - Summary of Summary of Decisions Requested - By Submitter.pdf (PDF 407 KB)

Further Submissions on Variation 1 to Plan Change 1 to the Natural Resources Plan have now closed.

Further submissions received: 2

Submission period: 11 May 2026 – 12 June 2026

Summary of further submissions on PC1 Variation 1:  PC1 Variation 1 Further Submissions Summary (PDF 151 KB)

What happens next?

• Further submissions will be summarized and a summary of further submissions will be published on this page when available. 
• There must be an opportunity for the following persons to make a further submission in support of, or in opposition to, the submissions already made:
  • Any person representing a relevant aspect of the public interest;
  • Any person who has an interest in the proposal greater than the general public has;
  • The local authority itself; and 
• Then there will be an opportunity for submitters to speak in support of their submission at a hearing; and
• For the standard Part 1, Schedule 1 provision, Greater Wellington Regional Council must give its decision on the provisions and matters raised in the submissions (including its reasons for accepting or rejecting submissions) and give public notice of its decisions within 2 years of notifying the variation and serve it on every person who made a submission at the same time; and
• The appeal process after the hearing and decisions will follow the standard Part 1 Schedule 1 process. Under this process any person who made a submission has the right to appeal against the decision on Variation 1 of Plan Change 1 to the Environment Court if, in relation to a provision or matter that is the subject of the appeal, the person referred to the provision or the matter in the person's submission on the Plan Change.

If you have any questions about Variation 1 to Plan Change 1, please contact our team at regionalplan@gw.govt.nz.