We're proposing to update some fees and charges for planning and miscellaneous services, with the changes taking effect from 1 July 2026.
Each year, we review our fees to make sure they are fair, transparent, and reflect the actual cost of providing these services.
What’s being proposed
Following our latest review:
- Hourly rates are proposed to increase by 3.5% to 4.5% to reflect rising costs.
- Some flat fees will stay the same.
- Some fees may increase more significantly where current charges no longer reflect the time and work involved.
In previous years, most fee changes simply followed inflation through Council’s standard annual review process. This year, however, the planning team carried out a more detailed review of the costs involved in processing resource consents over the past two years.
Based on that review, we’re proposing changes to some “indicative charges” (the typical or average cost of processing certain applications) listed in the policy.
Why are these changes being proposed
The proposed updates aim to better reflect the actual time and resources needed to carry out planning services under the Resource Management Act 1991.
These services include things like:
- Processing resource consent applications
- Monitoring consent conditions
- Managing Notices of Requirement, Designations, and Plan Changes
We also compared our fees with those charged by other councils. While this helps provide useful context, fees can’t always be directly compared because planning rules and district plans vary between councils.
You can find the full list of proposed fees and charges in the document below.
Consultation document: Proposed Planning & Miscellaneous Fees 2026/27(PDF, 935KB)
We welcome your feedback on the proposed changes.
Submissions close at 4pm, 10 April 2026
All submissions received will be considered. You can send us your feedback by email, post, or phone.
Please include your name, address, and contact phone number, and let us know if you would like to speak to your submission at a meeting of elected members.
Email: submission@pncc.govt.nz
Post: Governance Manager
Palmerston North City Council
Private Bag 11034
Palmerston North 4442
Phone: 06 356 8199