Highly Productive Land — HPL — is one of those policies that quietly shapes what you can do with your best country, and it’s just changed. Here’s the plain-English version: what it is, why it matters to your farm, and what shifted in the latest round.

What HPL actually is

The National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land (NPS-HPL) came into force in October 2022. Its job is to stop the country’s most versatile growing land being carved up or built over, and to keep it producing food and fibre.

The key part — and where it ties straight into Land Use Capability — is how “highly productive” is defined. For now, it’s land in LUC Classes 1, 2 and 3 that’s zoned general rural or rural production and isn’t already earmarked for town growth. In other words, your most versatile country — roughly 14–15% of New Zealand.

Why it matters to you

If your land is HPL, the policy pushes councils to say no to subdividing it (especially into lifestyle blocks), rezoning it for housing, and non-productive development on it. Genuine farming and the buildings that go with it are fine — it’s the carve-ups and conversions it targets.

The catch a lot of farmers hit: because the default sweeps in Class 3, not just Class 1, it caught more land than people expected. And until your council maps HPL properly, you generally can’t commission your own soil test to argue your way off the list.

What just changed

Two rounds of change worth knowing:

  • September 2024: greenhouses, intensive indoor production (poultry, piggeries) and major infrastructure — including renewable energy — got a clear consenting pathway on HPL. They’re now treated as “not inappropriate,” though consent is still required.
  • January 2026 (the big one): the government kept LUC 1 and 2 fully protected, but opened a more enabling pathway for urban development on LUC 3 land — so Class 3 near a town is now easier to get into development. Proposed “Special Agricultural Areas” to protect growing hubs like Pukekohe and Horowhenua were paused, and councils’ duty to map HPL was suspended until the end of 2027.

The bigger picture

All of this sits inside a much larger shake-up: the Resource Management Act is being replaced by new planning legislation through 2026, and HPL will eventually be rewritten into that new system. So expect more change — this is a moving target, not a settled rulebook. (Always check the current rules with your council before banking on any of it.)

Where it lands for your farm

Short version, as things stand:

  • LUC 1 or 2 land — protections are firmly in place; nothing has loosened.
  • LUC 3 land near a town — the door to development is more open than it was.
  • HPL mapping — parked until the end of 2027, so the interim LUC 1–3 default still governs.

And because HPL still rides on the national LUC mapping — coarse, regional-scale data — the honest answer to “is my land actually HPL?” often needs a closer look than the national map gives. That’s exactly the kind of question a proper, farm-scale LUC base helps you answer.

The bottom line

HPL protects your best land — and the rules around it just got more flexible for Class 3 while staying firm for Classes 1 and 2. If you’re not sure where your land sits, knowing your LUC is the first step. We can help you read it.