Standards New Zealand has just published NZS 4404:2010 Land development and subdivision infrastructure.

NZS 4404 provides local authorities, developers, and their professional advisors with criteria for design and construction of land development and subdivision infrastructure.
The Standard encourages sustainable development and modern design that emphasises liveability and environmental quality. The Standard is applicable to greenfield and infill development, and brownfield redevelopment projects, and

• covers requirements for earthworks and geotechnical needs, roads, stormwater, wastewater, water supply, landscape, and network utility facilities
• provides as much consistency as possible on land development and subdivision infrastructure while still allowing flexibility for local variations to suit local circumstances
• can be used on its own, or together with local codes, as a means to comply with Resource Management Act 1991 consent conditions
• incorporates up-to-date design principles such as low impact design (LID) solutions to stormwater management, and urban design principles that encourage more sustainable places, spaces, and networks in towns and cities.

Section 1 concerns matters of general application and general requirements to be observed. Sections 2 to 8 provide good practice guidelines on particular types of infrastructure to be provided.

Changes from the previous 2004 version include:

• removing 'engineering' from the title of the Standard to emphasise that collaboration among a number of disciplines is important for good land development outcomes
• requiring that road design allows 'context' or 'place' to be given significant emphasis, and that roads be designed to achieve safe (slower) operating speeds
• a new emphasis on managing and treating stormwater 'before it gets into a pipe', by the use of grassed swales, natural or artificial waterways, ponds and wetlands
• a requirement to consider climate change and potential sea level rise
• grassed swales, natural or artificial waterways, ponds, and wetlands, for example, may in certain circumstances be not only part of the stormwater system, but also be a preferred solution, especially if low impact on receiving waters downstream is critical
• the sections on landscaping and reserves have been combined and significantly rewritten
• the section on utility services (section 8) has also been significantly amended in accordance with the latest network authorities' codes.

The handbook Subdivision for people and the environment SNZ HB 44:2001 is still relevant and is not amended by NZS 4404:2010.

For more information have a look at NZS4404:2010 at the Standards New Zealand website.