Christchurch will look 'insanely stupid’ if noise limit changes are delayed, warns councillor

Thursday, 17 July 2025

Any delay to increasing noise limits in central Christchurch will have a devastating impact on the live music scene and make the city look “insanely stupid”, a councillor says.

However, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has told city councillor Andrei Moore he should not “freak out” about the issue.

“Let me just say that I’m a big fan of the night time economy,” Bishop said.

Bishop announced at the Local Government New Zealand conference in Christchurch on Wednesday that councils will have to stop any district plan reviews and changes, where hearings have not started.

The Government is replacing the Resource Management Act (RMA) with two new Acts, one to focus on land-use planning, the other focusing on the natural environment.

Bishop said the directive would enable councils to focus on transitioning to the new system, which was not expected to take full effect until 2027.

However, the move calls into question plan changes being progressed by Christchurch City Council, including central city noise level limits and an industrial plan change.

Cr Andrei Moore, who holds the council’s arts and culture portfolio, said he was “stressed as shit” because the council had put years of work into the central city noise plan change, which was weeks away from being publicly notified.

He said if the plan change was delayed it would mean the stadium would open in April and be allowed to play loud music later than a live music venue next door. The council has already approved noise restrictions for the stadium.

“We can not be putting this stuff off. The city would look insanely stupid.”

Any delay would have a devastating impact for live music in Christchurch and negatively impact the city’s economic growth, Moore said.

In response to Moore’s concerns, Bishop said it was a blanket rule but sensible exemptions could be made, although he was definitive on whether the noise change would get an exemption.

Moore had already been in touch with Bishop calling for an exemption.

“I know Andrei well because we spent the last four nights of Shihad’s tour in the mosh pit together.”

Bishop was also not able to say if the industrial plan change would be eligible for an exemption.

“The short answer is, it will depend.”

He said the Government was telling councils not to start any new plan changes and if they were early on in the process, then they should stop, but he acknowledged there were also ones about to become operative.

“There is an exemption pathway,” he added.

The industrial plan change, which has been years in development, is designed to address the impacts of container yards and heavy industrial activity, like loud noises and offensive odours, on nearby residents. It was due to be notified later this year.

Cr Yani Johanson, who has been pushing for the change, said it would be upsetting for the community if the plan change could not progress.

He said the existing rules had allowed container depots and scrap metal yards to be set up close to homes, against the community’s wishes.

There needed to be greater buffer areas between industrial and residential and that is what the industrial plan change would do, he said.

Council head of planning and consents Mark Stevenson said the council was working through what Bishop’s announcement means for the council’s plan change programme.

Mayor Phil Mauger said he had asked staff for a briefing on the impact of the announcement as soon as possible.