Make Your Submission On The Resource Management Reform Bills: What To Tell Our Lawmakers

Thursday, 19 January 2023, 5:59 am
Press Release: Environmental Defence Society

Date: 25 January 2023

Time: 2.00pm - 3.00pm

The Environmental Defence Society, with support from the Resource Management Law Association, is hosting an online workshop on the Natural and Built Environment Bill and the Spatial Planning Bill to assist with submissions on the bills. 

The bills, which will replace the Resource Management Act, will provide the legal framework for managing Aotearoa New Zealand’s natural and built environments for decades to come. It is therefore critically important that we get them right. Although the bills are lengthy and complex, EDS’s analysis should make it easy to get involved in this once in a generation reform process. 

Led by Greg Severinsen and Raewyn Peart, the workshop will present EDS’s perspectives on the bills, including identifying positive elements that merit support and things that require change. Questions and answers will follow. The workshop will not be overly ‘legalistic’, rather the focus will be on assisting you to gain a broader understanding of the bills in order to prepare submissions.

Key topics to be covered will include:

• The purpose and principles of the proposed legislation
• The new system of environmental limits and targets
• The shift from managing ‘effects’ to pursuing ‘outcomes’
• Changes in how resources are to be allocated (and reallocated over time)
• Changes to key planning instruments, including national direction and regional and district plans
• Changes to consenting, water conservation orders and compliance/enforcement frameworks
• How different statutes are intended to work together

Submissions on the bills to the Environment Select Committee close on 5 February 2023. 

EDS is preparing a template submission to help those interested in submitting, and will make this available in advance of the workshop. 

Raewyn Peart holds degrees in law, social science and commerce and heads EDS’s highly-regarded environmental policy think tank. She has published and presented widely on resource management issues and overseen investigations into the resource management system, the conservation management system and oceans reform. She is currently leading an investigation into the design of the proposed Climate Adaptation Act. Raewyn was a member of the Ministerially-appointed Resource Management Review Panel which undertook a comprehensive review of the resource management system. In 2019 she was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to environmental and conservation policy. 

Dr Greg Severinsen provides the lead on EDS's environmental system reform projects. He has practised in resource management law at a major law firm, worked in policy at the Ministry for the Environment and taught at Victoria University of Wellington. Greg has published and presented on a range of resource management and environmental law topics both here and abroad, and sat on a number of advisory panels. Most recently, he has led the multi-phase EDS policy project on resource management reform (which influenced the deliberations of the Randerson Panel and current efforts to replace the RMA), and fundamental reform of the oceans management system.

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Environmental Defence Society

EDS speaks for the environment. It has influence.

Since 1971, EDS has been driving environmental protection in Aotearoa New Zealand through law and policy change. That's why it's one of this country's most influential non- profit organisations when it comes to achieving better environmental outcomes.

EDS has expertise in key disciplines including law, planning, landscape and science. It operates as a policy think-tank, a litigation advocate, and a collaborator – bringing together the private and public sectors for constructive engagement.

EDS runs conferences and seminars on topical issues, including an annual Environmental Summit and the Climate Change and Business Conference.

EDS is a registered charity and donations to it are tax-deductible.

Contact Environmental Defence Society

• Website - www.eds.org.nz
• Email - manager@eds.org.nz
• Phone - + 64 9 302 2972
• Link - EDS National Conference
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