This page relates to the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme.
This page provides descriptions of each of the planning documents that are related to land transport legislation. Information on each piece of legislation and on the entities involved can be found on separate pages.
About the planning and statutory framework
District or city plans are created by territorial authorities under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA).
National policy statements (see further below) issued under the RMA 1991 can require territorial authorities to amend their district plans. The National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020 is one of these.
Territorial authorities – city, district and unitary councils
National Policy Statement on Urban Development 2020
Resource Management Act 1991(external link)
You will find further information on local government strategies and plans on the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) website.
Local government strategies and plans
The Government Policy Statement on land transport (GPS) sets out the government’s strategic direction for the land transport system over the next 10 years and is updated every 3 years. It provides guidance on how we invest the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF), and how we assess and prioritise activities for regional land transport plans (see further below) and the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) (see further below).
Government Policy Statement on land transport (GPS)
Land Transport Management Act 2003 (LTMA) ss66–69 require that the Minister of Transport issues the GPS, and s70 requires that NZTA gives effect to it.
Land Transport Management Act 2003(external link)
You can find further GPS information on the Ministry of Transport’s website.
Government Policy Statement on land transport(external link)
The Government Policy Statement on Housing and Urban Development (GPS-HUD) is a document that the Minister of Housing and Minister of Finance must issue by 1 October 2021, required by the Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities Act 2019 s22.
Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities Act 2019
The purpose of the GPS-HUD is to state the government’s overall direction and priorities for housing and urban development, and to inform and guide the decisions and actions of agencies involved in, and the activities necessary or desirable for, housing and urban development.
This will influence Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities in its activities including the creation of specified development projects (see further below), with flow-on influences on regional plans, district plans and transport activities.
Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities
Specified development projects
Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities Act 2019(external link)
You can read more about the GPS-UD, as well as the Urban Development Act 2020 and the wider Urban Growth Agenda, on the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development website.
Urban Development Act 2020(external link)
Urban Growth Agenda(external link)
The National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) is prepared every 3 years by NZTA and outlines a 10-year programme of activities that will be funded through the NLTF – often through co-investment with councils. The strategic direction, forecast revenue and funding allocations (activity classes) for the NLTP are set out in the GPS on land transport.
National Land Transport Programme
Government Policy Statement on land transport
Read more about the NLTP on this knowledge base.
2024–27 investment requirements
The National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD) directs local authorities to enable greater supply and ensure that planning is responsive to changes in demand, while seeking to ensure that new development capacity enabled by councils is of a form and in locations that meet the diverse needs of communities and encourages well-functioning, liveable urban environments. It also requires councils to remove overly restrictive rules that affect urban development outcomes in our cities.
The NPS-UD replaces the National Policy Statement on Urban Development Capacity 2016.
The NPS-UD is administered by the Ministry for the Environment, with support from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
The NPS-UD is a document that the Minister for the Environment may prepare under s52 of the RMA.
Regional councils must give effect to the NPS-UD in the regional plan under the RMA s67.
Territorial authorities must give effect to the NPS-UD in the district plan under the RMA s76.
Regional councils and territorial authorities must amend RMA documents including regional plans and district plans if directed to by the NPS-UD, under the RMA s55.
NZTA must take the NPS-UD into account, under the LTMA s19B.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
National Policy Statement on Urban Development
Territorial authorities – city, district and unitary councils
You can also find information about the NPS-UD on the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development website.
National Policy Statement on Urban Development(external link)
The Rail Network Investment Programme is KiwiRail’s recommendations for rail activities to be provided by KiwiRail and to be funded or partially funded by the Crown or the NLTF. This is a new funding mechanism for rail, created by legislation in 2020.
The Land Transport (Rail) Legislation Act 2020 amends the LTMA.
Land Transport (Rail) Legislation Act 2020(external link)
Land Transport Management Act 2003(external link)
Ministry of Transport information on the Land Transport (Rail) Legislation Act 2020 describes how it came into being and how it functions.
Regional land transport plans are created by regional transport committees under the LTMA.
Land Transport Management Act 2003
National policy statements issued under the can require regional transport committees to amend their regional land transport plans.
The role of regional authorities
The LTMA ss12–18 relate to preparing regional land transport plans.
Land Transport Management Act 2003(external link)
NZTA information on local government strategies and plans.
Local government strategies and plans
Regional plans are created by regional councils under the RMA.
National policy statements issued under the RMA, such as the NPS-UD can require regional councils to amend their regional plans.
The RMA ss63–70 relate to preparing regional plans.
Resource Management Act 1991(external link)
You can find further information on local government strategies and plans on the NZTA website.
Local government strategies and plans
Regional public transport plans are created by regional councils under the LTMA.
Land Transport Management Act 2003
NZTA has published guidelines for preparing regional public transport plans.
The LTMA ss117–139 relate to preparing regional public transport plans.
Land Transport Management Act 2003(external link)
Local government strategies and plans
Specified development projects are a new type of urban development project managed by Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities using powers under the Urban Development Act 2020.
Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities
Read more about specified development projects, the Urban Development Act and the wider Urban Growth Agenda on the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development website.
Urban Development Act 2020(external link)
Urban Growth Agenda(external link)
The purpose of the State Highway Investment Proposal is to set out the 10-year programme of activities that NZTA (for its own activities) proposes for inclusion in the NLTP, to give effect to the GPS on land transport.
Projects within the State Highway Investment Proposal and regional land transport plans are prioritised on a national basis to be considered for the available funding within each activity class of the GPS as the NLTP is developed, considering the regional priorities described in each regional land transport plan.
State Highway Investment Proposal 2024–34
Resource management system reform is underway, led by the Ministry for the Environment. The Resource Management Act 1991 remains in effect until new legislation proposed to replace it is passed. For updates to resource management system reform please refer to the Ministry for the Environment website.
