The Resource Management Act in New Zealand is to promote sustainable management of land and natural resources, and has interesting characteristics to be discussed; that is, its areas and methods to be integrated, public participation oriented, de-centralization in planning and regulation, not activity-based but effect-based control and so on. To control development and land use change for environment preservation, the RMA positively adopted non-regulatory methods such as education, encouragement, advocacy and information sharing etc., in addition to former regulatory methods as zoning. This report introduces the system of development and land use control methods in the RMA and shows its characters.