The changes were passed by Parliament last month.
The Government has said they will streamline the resource management process and allow local councils to bypass consents for minor issues, speeding up the process and reducing costs.
Upper Clutha Environmental Society secretary Julian Haworth said the changes meant many developments in the Queenstown Lakes district would not be notified publicly.
''There would have to be some very special circumstances which are not clear to anyone.''
The society has asked the council to make changes to the proposed district plan, making rural subdivisions a non-complying activity which meant they would need to be publicly notified.
QLDC general manager of planning and development Tony Avery said the council was still reviewing the changes and what they meant in terms of the proposed district plan.
Resource management specialists who spoke to the Otago Daily Times said it was too early to know what the ramifications of changes to the Act were.
The society was opposed to four present resource consent subdivisions on rural land in the Upper Clutha, which may not have been publicly notified under the new changes, Mr Haworth said.
''In a couple of those cases there were neighbours who objected, so they might have been notified under the new rules, but a lot of the times neighbours don't object.''
The society and Mr Haworth are well known for using the Resource Management Act to oppose development they see as unacceptable.
Under the former rules the Act gave those opposing, who usually did not have the same resources, a fair chance against developers, Mr Haworth said.
''It's not just about the society, it's about people in the community who don't want to see development in Dublin Bay or out on Peter Theil's property, but it does shut the society and similar groups out of the process.''
Hearings on the QLDC's proposed district plan will resume on May 15.
