Patch 2025.12

December 2025 proposals

Proposed laws would target antisocial driving, change employment protections, tighten firearms licensing, strengthen crime consequences, license online casinos, and expand community housing beyond Christchurch.

• Proposal to toughen rules on antisocial driving — Would create road offences and give Police and courts more powers over fleeing, racing, convoys and excessive noise.
• Proposal to change employment protections — It would change contractor status, personal grievance claims, high-income dismissal claims, and first-month employment terms.
• Proposal to tighten firearms licensing — It would replace firearms laws, add safeguards including limits for gang members, and simplify some licence renewals and visitor licences.
• Proposal to strengthen crime consequences — It would change citizen-arrest and property-defence rules, increase some trafficking penalties, and create offences for coward punches and assaults on officials.
• Proposal to license online casinos — It would allow up to 15 online casino licences while banning unlicensed gambling and advertising and adding harm-prevention rules.
• Proposal to expand community housing area — Would allow the trust to provide social and affordable rental housing and services beyond Christchurch and Banks Peninsula.
• Proposal to change military justice — Would change how the military justice system is administered for New Zealand Defence Force personnel.
• Proposal to replace resource management rules — Would create a new system for planning land use, housing, business, infrastructure and environmental protection.
• Proposal to change environmental rules — Would replace the Resource Management Act and set a new framework for using and protecting the natural environment.
• Proposal to change earthquake building rules — Would limit earthquake-prone building rules to higher-risk buildings and introduce repair requirements based on risk.
• Proposal to replace emergency management law — Would replace current emergency management law and set responsibilities and standards for national, regional and local responses.
• Proposal to change competition rules — Would change competition rules, including business notifications, class exemptions and stronger enforcement powers.
• Proposal to extend some resource consents — Would extend some resource consents to 31 December 2027, including certain recently expired consents.
• Proposal to change methane targets — It would set a 14% to 24% methane reduction target from 2017 levels and require future reviews and food-production considerations.
• Proposal to make laws easier to find — Would put legislation on one website and require agencies to publish secondary rules electronically.
• Proposal to change court timing rules — Would change court timing rules.
• Proposal to change election rules — Would change electoral rules.