Want to build a deck without the drama?

Party: ACT

Sender: ACTion I ACT New Zealand <[email protected]>

Date Received: 2025-12-12 18:50

HTML Version

Dear [Name],

There’s a simple test for whether government is working: does it make everyday life easier, or harder?

For too long in New Zealand, it’s been the latter. Good ideas buried in paperwork. Sensible projects stalled by rules nobody can explain. Costs piling up while productivity flatlines.

This week’s ACTion shows what happens when a Government finally decides to change that. Cutting red tape that never made sense. Fixing a planning system that said no by default. And building a team to keep those reforms going.

So here’s what you helped make possible this week 👇

Could you be in ACT's next caucus?

The next election may be less than a year away, and here's what's at stake: Labour could be back with the Greens, and this time they'd come with Te Pāti Māori holding the balance of power.

We're taking expressions of interest for candidates to join our team in next year's general election.

MPs who understand the power of free markets and free minds are rare. ACT is unique in the world for its principled approach and longevity.

Winning the next election and keeping the other guys out is vital, but ACT's mission is much bigger than that. We want to bend the arc of history in New Zealand towards a more free society where the creative power of individuals can be free to fully overcome the challenges that we face.

If that sounds like you, submit your expression of interest today.

RMA Reform: Let’s unlock growth in NZ

If you’ve ever tried to build a deck, a building, or use your land to farm, you’ll know exactly how broken our planning and resource management system is.

You start with a good idea. Then comes the paperwork. Then the fees. Then the delays. Then someone you’ve never met tells you no – not because you’re hurting anyone, but because the rules say so. That’s what the Resource Management Act turned New Zealand into.

And this week, that changed.

ACT announced the replacement of the RMA with a new planning system designed to make it easier to build houses and infrastructure, let farmers and growers get on with doing what they do best, boost New Zealand’s primary sector, and protect the environment. The RMA will be replaced by two new laws: the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill.

The new system is built on a simple principle:

“If it’s your land and you’re not harming anyone else, the law should default to letting you use it.” – Mark Cameron

Based on recent figures, up to 46 percent of consenting and permit applications are expected to be removed. That’s between 15,000 and 22,000 consents a year no longer required. These reforms are expected to save $13.3 billion in administrative and compliance costs over the next 30 years and lift GDP by at least 0.56 percent a year by 2050, increasing thereafter.

Under the new system, when councils impose significant restrictions on land, they must justify them. Where the impact is serious, councils will be required to provide relief, including compensation for landowners. A new Planning Tribunal will allow property owners to challenge disproportionate rules and inadequate relief.

The practical result is straightforward:

Less paperwork and lower costs mean quicker, easier progress for people doing everyday things – like adding a deck to a home, putting up a fence on a farm, or building townhouses or a wind farm.

Fewer consents. Lower costs. Faster decisions.

🌱 Pruning the paperwork so hemp can bloom

“New Zealand’s hemp industry has been treated like a criminal for too long. The industry has been held back by outdated, heavy-handed rules that treat growing low-risk crops like high-risk drugs. That ends now.” – David Seymour

This is classic New Zealand bureaucracy – rules written years ago, never revisited, quietly strangling innovation while everyone wonders why nothing grows. Literally.

Cabinet has now agreed to scrap the old licensing regime and replace it with something sensible.

Why does this matter? Because, in a high-cost economy, regulation isn’t neutral, it’s just a tax on growth. And this isn’t theoretical. The numbers are very clear:

“The proposed changes are expected to generate a net present value (NPV) benefit of $7.5 million over the next 10 years… Over 20 years, the NPV is about $41 million.” – David Seymour

That’s real money staying with growers, investors, and workers instead of being burned up in paperwork.

The new rules are simple and proportionate:

No licence required to grow or handle industrial hemp
A clear THC threshold of less than 1%
Continued safeguards, food safety, and medicinal cannabis rules

It might be the end of the year, but our government has no intention of slowing down. We’re committed to clearing the path for every needless bit of regulation and improving how laws are made just like this.

Until next week

These changes didn’t happen by accident. They happened because people like you, [Name], backed ACT when it mattered.

If you want ACT to keep fixing what matters, please consider making a donation today. We rely on supporters like you to keep delivering real change.

Fewer barriers. More opportunity.

Thanks,

Team ACT

DONATE TODAY

[Name], if you like what we're doing, and wish to support us, please consider donating. As a grassroots movement, we rely on the support from Kiwis like you.

This email was sent to [Email]

You can update your email preferences here

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Text Version

<https://www.act.org.nz/>Dear [Name], <https://action.act.org.nz/>
There’s a simple test for whether government is working: does it make everyday life easier, or harder?
For too long in New Zealand, it’s been the latter. Good ideas buried in paperwork. Sensible projects stalled by rules nobody can explain. Costs piling up while productivity flatlines.
This week’s ACTion shows what happens when a Government finally decides to change that. Cutting red tape that never made sense. Fixing a planning system that said no by default. And building a team to keep those reforms going.
So here’s what you helped make possible this week 👇
Could you be in ACT's next caucus?
<action.act.org.nz/r?u=RjI8LXzvuCt6Nx6yqgvYSIo2bIghNJqPfIQWLRos4EAfOm5-1gqOyyzjwxQ7E-ceti5K7JiCw1200_lqK-gZuR3gQqpJYKAPzH85TXPZsdLfaOznPPE20bFijTqGGLtpdWf8LnjIFkgPnQr116kpdL1Nk3ztsV9kV6dLZgORvmRSeDe4rgw0-bO_kM26lC376aCyTCVIg9TvGlyO0t3C0FBVPD0Mg8DxUbaBX6ZX0R15_9BMHfvNMVwXhxton_AekLlgZY7uVypYRBto_VwnfqMo7IBHoeSVdNoG9zgUUlYTMUQA_oQC1RdLOQ_vx0G0TW_ftnyNAwgFj9aCGfcHPAXFE4-jUjrfnarQyeG2qIxIMALdqazWMglzeH_yTskf&e=fa3f19eab7611268dacf61eb8aa494fb&utm_source=actnz&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=251112_candidates_4&n=2&test_email=1>The next election may be less than a year away, and here's what's at stake: Labour could be back with the Greens, and this time they'd come with Te Pāti Māori holding the balance of power.
We're taking expressions of interest for candidates to join our team in next year's general election. <https://action.act.org.nz/r
MPs who understand the power of free markets and free minds are rare. ACT is unique in the world for its principled approach and longevity.
Winning the next election and keeping the other guys out is vital, but ACT's mission is much bigger than that. We want to bend the arc of history in New Zealand towards a more free society where the creative power of individuals can be free to fully overcome the challenges that we face.
If that sounds like you, submit your expression of interest today. <action.act.org.nz/r?u=RjI8LXzvuCt6Nx6yqgvYSIo2bIghNJqPfIQWLRos4EAfOm5-1gqOyyzjwxQ7E-ceti5K7JiCw1200_lqK-gZuR3gQqpJYKAPzH85TXPZsdLfaOznPPE20bFijTqGGLtpdWf8LnjIFkgPnQr116kpdL1Nk3ztsV9kV6dLZgORvmRSeDe4rgw0-bO_kM26lC376aCyTCVIg9TvGlyO0t3C0FBVPD0Mg8DxUbaBX6ZX0R15_9BMHfvNMVwXhxton_AekLlgZY7uVypYRBto_VwnfqMo7IBHoeSVdNoG9zgUUlYTMUQA_oQC1RdLOQ_vx0G0TW_ftnyNAwgFj9aCGfcHPAXFE4-jUjrfnarQyeG2qIxIMALdqazWMglzeH_yTskf&e=fa3f19eab7611268dacf61eb8aa494fb&utm_source=actnz&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=251112_candidates_4&n=2&test_email=1>
RMA Reform: Let’s unlock growth in NZ
<https://www.youtube.com/watch you’ve ever tried to build a deck, a building, or use your land to farm, you’ll know exactly how broken our planning and resource management system is.
You start with a good idea. Then comes the paperwork. Then the fees. Then the delays. Then someone you’ve never met tells you no – not because you’re hurting anyone, but because the rules say so. That’s what the Resource Management Act turned New Zealand into.
And this week, that changed.
ACT announced the replacement of the RMA with a new planning system designed to make it easier to build houses and infrastructure, let farmers and growers get on with doing what they do best, boost New Zealand’s primary sector, and protect the environment. The RMA will be replaced by two new laws: the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill.
The new system is built on a simple principle:
“If it’s your land and you’re not harming anyone else, the law should default to letting you use it.” – Mark Cameron
Based on recent figures, up to 46 percent of consenting and permit applications are expected to be removed. That’s between 15,000 and 22,000 consents a year no longer required. These reforms are expected to save $13.3 billion in administrative and compliance costs over the next 30 years and lift GDP by at least 0.56 percent a year by 2050, increasing thereafter.
Under the new system, when councils impose significant restrictions on land, they must justify them. Where the impact is serious, councils will be required to provide relief, including compensation for landowners. A new Planning Tribunal will allow property owners to challenge disproportionate rules and inadequate relief.
The practical result is straightforward:
Less paperwork and lower costs mean quicker, easier progress for people doing everyday things – like adding a deck to a home, putting up a fence on a farm, or building townhouses or a wind farm.
Fewer consents. Lower costs. Faster decisions.
🌱 Pruning the paperwork so hemp can bloom
<https://www.youtube.com/watch Zealand’s hemp industry has been treated like a criminal for too long. The industry has been held back by outdated, heavy-handed rules that treat growing low-risk crops like high-risk drugs. That ends now.” – David Seymour
This is classic New Zealand bureaucracy – rules written years ago, never revisited, quietly strangling innovation while everyone wonders why nothing grows. Literally.
Cabinet has now agreed to scrap the old licensing regime and replace it with something sensible.
Why does this matter? Because, in a high-cost economy, regulation isn’t neutral, it’s just a tax on growth. And this isn’t theoretical. The numbers are very clear:
“The proposed changes are expected to generate a net present value (NPV) benefit of $7.5 million over the next 10 years… Over 20 years, the NPV is about $41 million.” – David Seymour
That’s real money staying with growers, investors, and workers instead of being burned up in paperwork.
The new rules are simple and proportionate:
- No licence required to grow or handle industrial hemp
- A clear THC threshold of less than 1%
- Continued safeguards, food safety, and medicinal cannabis rules
It might be the end of the year, but our government has no intention of slowing down. We’re committed to clearing the path for every needless bit of regulation and improving how laws are made just like this.
Until next week
These changes didn’t happen by accident. They happened because people like you, [Name], backed ACT when it mattered.
If you want ACT to keep fixing what matters, please consider making a donation today. We rely on supporters like you to keep delivering real change. <https://action.act.org.nz/campaign-26>
Fewer barriers. More opportunity.
Thanks,
Team ACT
<https://action.act.org.nz/donate>DONATE TODAY <https://action.act.org.nz/donate>[Name], if you like what we're doing, and wish to support us, please consider donating. As a grassroots movement, we rely on the support from Kiwis like you.
This email was sent to [Email] <https://action.act.org.nz/unsubscribe>
You can update your email preferences here <https://action.act.org.nz/unsubscribe>
Authorised by C Purves, Suite 2.5, 27 Gillies Avenue, Newmarket, Auckland 1023