Major reform of resource management system
Hon Amy Adams
Minister for the
Environment
Major reform of resource management system
Environment Minister Amy Adams
has today unveiled the next phase of the Government’s plan
to revamp the resource management system.
Fundamentally, the reforms are about providing greater certainty for communities to plan for, and meet, their area’s needs in a way that reduces the unacceptable costs and delays that have become the norm.
“It must be remembered that the RMA is not just about environmental protection, it is also our planning law.
“It not only has to deal with managing water in our catchments and the quality of our air, it also needs to effectively deal with and provide for the functioning and development of our cities and towns, including public infrastructure like roads and schools. In this respect, the current planning system has not been serving us well.
“Instead of enabling a strong housing supply, it is slowing development where it is desperately needed.
“Rather than encouraging the creation of new business and jobs, it is discouraging them with uncertainty, bureaucracy and delays.
“It is essential that the resource management system is made clearer, more proactive and easier to use,” Ms Adams says.
Since 2008, the Government has made significant progress to the way the resource management system works, but there are still areas for improvement.
For this reason, the Government will make a number of improvements to the RMA across planning, consenting and the provision of national direction.
Some
of the main changes are:
• A requirement for
councils to work together to develop a single plan, covering
all the rules in their area
• A new national
planning template that sets out the structure and key
content all councils must follow in the development of their
resource management plans
• New fast-track
consenting rules and processes to improve timeframes for
simpler consents
• Enhanced provision for
natural hazard management, learning the lessons from
Canterbury
• Requirements to better engage with
local iwi in making planning decisions
•
Require councils to provide a minimum of 10-years of urban
land supply to cope with projected population growth
•
Revise and consolidate the current sections 6&7 into a
single list of matters of national importance
•
Establish a clearer performance-monitoring framework for
councils, making them more accountable on how they are
meeting environmental, cultural, social and economic
needs
“Taken together, the changes will streamline and improve decision-making at every level.
“The RMA is
now 22 years old. It was an innovative approach at the time,
promising an enabling system that supported growth as long
as core environmental bottom lines were met. Ever
increasingly complexity has meant it has not lived up to its
full promise.
“Today’s announcements will represent
the most significant reform of the Act since its inception
and are long over-due.”
For more information about the
Government’s reforms, including a summary of the
proposals, go to:
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/rma/reform/phase-two/index.html
ends