3 February 2009
RMA reforms speed up the processes for infrastructure
and gives choices on process
Changes announced today by the Government to the Resource Management Act, particularly the priority given to national
infrastructure, will significantly speed up timeframes for infrastructure planning applications – both big and small and
place the power to decide the process largely in the hands of the applicants says IPENZ.
“Rather than the Minister having call in powers, these reforms place the choice in the hands of the applicants and
allows them to make an application by a Board of inquiry. If eligible, the application will be sent to the Board of
Inquiry who must make a final decision within 9 months,” says Tim Davin, Director of Policy for the Institution of
Professional Engineers New Zealand. “This is good news it means the power is in the hands of the applicant to decide
their own process.”
“A key part of this change is that rather than these provisions relating just to infrastructure of national significance
such as a major transmission line, it will apply to parts of a network that are national. In other words a State Highway
project that in isolation are not nationally significant such as in a rural area, will still be eligible for this type
of application because they are part of a national roading network," says Mr Davin. “Although there will need to be some
further attention to the definition of a nationwide network utility operator. There are a number of major lines
companies and telecommunication providers who are national operators, but most of their network is local in nature. Does
the government wish to give these powers to these utility operators?”
“Another interesting provision is for resource consent applicants and requiring authorities (usually infrastructure
providers) to be able to have their application referred directly to the Environment Court provided the local authority
has first agreed. Again this places the decision on process largely in the applicants hands. This looks to be a very
worthwhile provision – although there will need to be some criteria around the local authority’s ability to decline this
direct referral to the Environment Court.”
IPENZ would have liked to see rationalisation and consolidation of the various Acts that sometimes result in
infrastructure applications having to get a number of approvals and can face several appeal s – and will be making this
point in submissions to the Bill.
ENDS