Resource consents — what they are, and when you need one
Every so often a client has just been granted resource consent and wants to know when the builder can start. It’s an understandable assumption — the word “consent” sounds final — but resource consent is usually one step in a longer process, and on its own it doesn’t allow you to build anything.
Two consents, two different questions
Most building work in New Zealand involves two separate approvals, and they answer different questions.
Resource consent asks: can you build this, here? It deals with how a building sits on its site — its height, how close it comes to the boundaries, how much of the site it covers, the earthworks it needs, and its effect on neighbours and the surrounding area. Council planners assess it against the district plan.
Building consent asks: will it be built properly? It deals with structure, weathertightness, fire safety, energy efficiency and the rest of the Building Code. Council building officers assess it against the Building Act and the Building Code.
They’re separate applications under separate laws, and being exempt from one doesn’t make you exempt from the other. A small garden studio might not need building consent, but if it breaches a boundary setback or a recession plane it can still need resource consent. A small addition to a house might comply with every district plan rule and need no resource consent at all — but it will almost certainly still need building consent.
For a new home, the order is usually:
- Check the planning rules that apply to the site
- Design the house
- Apply for resource consent, if the design needs it
- Prepare the building consent documentation and apply
- Build, with council inspections along the way
- Receive the code compliance certificate at the end
Many houses never need resource consent, because they’re designed to comply with the rules from the start. Where one is needed, it’s usually because something about the site makes the rules hard to meet — or because meeting them would cost the house something more important.
The rules that most often trigger resource consent
District plan rules vary between councils, and between zones within the same council. Christchurch’s Residential Suburban, Residential Hills and Residential Central City zones each have their own, and Selwyn and Waimakariri differ again. A handful of rules account for most of the resource consents we apply for on new homes.
Earthworks on hill sites. Almost every hill project we do in Christchurch needs resource consent, because even modest earthworks for a driveway or landscaping will exceed the 20 m³ limit. That’s less daunting than it sounds. Since a consent is needed anyway, it’s often the right moment to resolve any other minor infringement at the same time — a small recession plane breach the neighbours are comfortable with, for example.
Recession planes. A recession plane is an imaginary sloping line drawn inward from the boundary, which parts of the building have to stay beneath. The angle is lower on south-facing boundaries, which makes those the hardest to work with — along with narrow sites, and steep ones where the house needs to sit close to a boundary.
Height limits. These cause more confusion than almost anything else. Most height limits are measured from natural ground level, so on a sloping site a house can be taller at the top of the section than at the bottom, and on a steep site that makes a real difference to what you can build. An absolute height limit is quite different. Often set as part of a subdivision, it requires the whole building to stay below a fixed level regardless of the ground beneath it. It’s worth knowing which one applies before committing to a section.
Zone-specific rules. Some rules are very particular. In the Residential Hills zone, for example, roofing can’t have a light reflectance value above 30%, and Character Areas around the city have their own rules for work near heritage houses. Rural sites may also need approval from Environment Canterbury for things like stormwater discharge or on-site wastewater.
Decide what matters most before the rules decide for you
The most useful thing we do on a new home is work out early what the house most needs to get right. On a Christchurch hill site, that’s often the view. Getting the floor level high enough to see over neighbouring houses and trees can mean working hard within the height limit, and the roof becomes part of the answer: a flatter roof pitch can lift the floor level enough to make a real difference compared with a steeper, taller roof.
Once that priority is clear, the planning rules become constraints to design within rather than surprises. Sometimes the best answer is a design that complies fully. Sometimes it’s worth a minor infringement, and a resource consent, to protect the thing that matters most.
Getting resource consent without delays
Councils are meant to process a non-notified resource consent in about four weeks, but delays are common when council asks for more information or when a neighbour’s approval is still outstanding. Two things help most.
- A clear application. Accurate drawings and a plain summary of every non-compliance and its effects make the application easier for council to process, and easier for neighbours to understand what they’re being asked.
- Neighbours’ approval before lodging. Where a neighbour is affected, getting their written approval in advance avoids the most common cause of delay. We encourage clients to talk to their neighbours early, so we know whether to expect their support.
If a neighbour won’t agree, the options are to redesign to reduce the effect on them, to apply for a notified consent, or to redesign so that consent isn’t needed at all.
Timing is a judgement call. If there’s real doubt about whether a design can get consent, it’s worth securing it early, before investing in full building consent documentation. But the earlier it’s granted, the more likely it is that later changes to the design or landscaping will affect it, and an approved resource consent sometimes has to be amended during building consent or construction. We decide this project by project.
What this means if you’re buying a section
Most of what determines whether a section suits the house you have in mind can be found out before you buy: the zone, the recession planes on each boundary, how the height limit is measured, the earthworks a driveway would need, and any hazard overlays. It’s far cheaper to find out before going unconditional than after. If you’re looking at a section, we’re happy to talk it through.
Where things stand — updated November 2026
The Resource Management Act 1991, which governs resource consents, is being replaced. Its successors, the Planning Act and the Natural Environment Act, became law at the end of September 2026, and a transition period of about four years began on 30 October 2026.
In practice:
- For now, resource consents are still applied for under an amended version of the RMA, and the existing district plans, including the Christchurch District Plan, still apply.
- Over the transition, district plans are to be replaced by combined regional plans, so the rules for a site in Christchurch, Selwyn or Waimakariri will eventually sit in a single Canterbury plan.
- During the transition, councils assessing a residential land use consent can no longer consider some matters, including the area of glazing, balconies, outdoor living space, internal layout and the size of the home, except where heritage is involved.
Our view is cautiously hopeful. Planning rules currently vary widely between councils and between zones, and a simpler, more consistent framework could reduce the cost of consenting minor infringements that make little practical difference. But we’ll wait and see. The recent medium density changes were meant to simplify residential rules across the country. Because they were only partly implemented, some areas ended up with another set of complex rules alongside the old ones, which is harder to work with than either. We’ll update this page as the new system takes shape.
Frequently asked questions
Can we start building once we have resource consent? No. Resource consent confirms the design is acceptable under the planning rules. You’ll still need building consent, which confirms it meets the Building Code, before construction can start.
Do I need resource consent for a new house? Not necessarily. A house designed to meet all the district plan rules for its zone may need only building consent. On Christchurch hill sites, though, the earthworks alone usually mean resource consent is needed.
How long does resource consent take? Councils aim to process a non-notified consent in about four weeks. Requests for further information, or waiting on a neighbour’s approval, can extend that, which is why we prepare applications carefully and seek neighbours’ approval before lodging.
Closing
Most planning surprises are avoidable. We’d rather find a constraint on the first day of a project than discover it once the design is settled, so the first thing we do on any new home is establish which rules apply and what they mean for what you want to build.
If you’re planning a new home, or weighing up a section, we’re happy to talk through the rules that apply before you commit. Get in touch for an initial conversation, at no charge.
Related reading
- Building consent — what’s involved, and how long it takes
- Building on a slope
