Resource Consents Update – April 2026

ePlan updates – Chapter 14B Residential Pathway 

The District Plan is being updated to fully reflect the Minister’s decision on Plan Change 14 (PC14) and the Independent Hearings Panel’s (IHP) recommendation to introduce two residential development pathways. 

From early April, these updates will be made across all District Plan chapters modified by PC14, including district-wide chapters. This means the Chapter 14B Pathway option will now be clearly identifiable throughout the entire plan. 

In this update, we cover: 

• Residential Pathways explained 
• What’s changed in the District Plan 
• Why these changes are being made 
• Where to find more information. 

Residential Pathways explained 

Residential Pathways allow applicants developing in the Medium Density Residential Zone (MRZ) or High Density Residential Zone (HRZ) to choose between: 

• Chapter 14A Pathway – The new PC14 rules, which apply by default
  or 
• Chapter 14B Pathway – The previous District Plan rules for the property. 

Rule 14.3  outlines how the pathway process works. If an applicant wishes to use the previous rules, they must clearly state that they are selecting the Chapter 14B Pathway in their resource or building consent application.  

If no pathway is selected, the new PC14 rules (Chapter 14A) automatically apply. 

Care needs to be taken, as once the Chapter 14B Pathway is chosen for a site, the new rules in Chapter 14A cannot be used for the site in future. 

The former residential zones are shown on the planning maps as Residential Overlays (under the ‘Other Notations’ tab). Their rules are contained in Chapter 14B, and the pathway option is now included across relevant district-wide chapters (see below). 

The rules are essentially the same as the original zone rules but with unrelated content removed.  
 
The Chapter 14B Pathway incorporates the full package of pre-PC14 rules, including relevant district-wide rules (e.g. Chapter 7 Transport access and cycle parking rules), as well as those in the residential chapter. The 14B Pathway can also be used for residential development on sites in the Specific Purpose zones with an ‘alternative zone’ of MRZ or HRZ.  

What’s changed in the District Plan 

To make the Chapter 14B Pathway option work properly across the entire District Plan, a number of chapters have been updated so that it’s clear that: 

• When the the Chapter 14B Pathway is selected, all relevant previously operative rules apply. 
• When the default approach is used, only the new PC14-modified rules apply. 

As a result, the following chapters have been updated to clearly refer to both pathway options:

• Chapter 2 – Definitions 
• Chapter 5 – Natural Hazards 
• Chapter 6.1A – Qualifying Matters 
• Chapter 6.1 – Noise 
• Chapter 7 – Transport 
• Chapter 8 – Subdivision, development, and earthworks 
• Chapter 9 – Natural and Cultural Heritage* 
• Chapter 13.5 – Specific Purpose (Hospital) Zone 
• Chapter 13.6 – Specific Purpose (School) Zone 
• Chapter 13.7 – Specific Purpose (Tertiary Education) Zone 
• Chapter 13.14 – Specific Purpose (Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor) Zone 
• Chapter 14 – Residential. 

*Note that, due to the timing of the Plan Change 13 decision, changes to Chapter 9 will happen slightly later.

Changes to the above chapters include: 

• Clearly distinguishing which rules, policies, and matters of discretion apply under each pathway 
• Updating appendices and schedules so they reference the correct overlays and rules 
• In some cases, matters of discretion have been duplicated so each pathway has its own clearly defined version.
• Making minor consequential amendments required to align with the new framework.

Why these changes are being made 

The Residential Pathways were developed as part of the IHP’s response to the High Court’s decision on Waikanae (Waikanae Land Company Limited v Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and Ors Decision No [2023] NZEnvC 056). In rezoning parts of the city,  there was a need to retain existing development rights which, in some cases, may be more enabling than the new rules. 

Therefore, the Residential Pathways were introduced to: 

• Preserve residential development rights allowed by the previous rules  
• Support the introduction of MDRS 
• Provide flexibility for applicants 
• Ensure interpretations of the Waikanae decision are consistently applied. 

Where to find more information

For full details of the changes to each chapter, please visit our PC14 webpage: 
ccc.govt.nz/pc14  

For guidance on how to use the Chapter 14B Pathway, including the Residential Overlays and rules in Chapter 14B and 14.3.d, please refer to the updated District Plan or contact the Duty Planner.