Wednesday, 7th November 2019,
CEAC reminder that 7th November is the last day for submissions submission on Resource Management Reform Bill
Reforming of the RMA is needed to include protection for all citizens “health and well-being”.
Why?
On 11th September 2019 Hon Grant Robertson Minister of Finance issued a welcome ‘clear directive’ in the press to ensure
every Government considers the wellbeing of New Zealanders when creating future budgets.
12th September we wrote about RMA changes we considered important for Citizens; now we wish to ‘refresh’ them again. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1909/S00163/ceac-support-wellbeing-to-be-enshrined-in-law.htm
QUOTE; Government’ to ensure every Government considers the wellbeing of New Zealanders when creating future budgets.
QUOTE: Legislation has been introduced in Parliament today to ensure every Government considers the wellbeing of New
Zealanders when creating future budgets.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson says the successful delivery of the Wellbeing Budget this year placed wellbeing at the
heart of the Government’s policy-making.
UNQUOTE;
CEAC recommends Government needs to be far more actively involved with a robust and inclusive involvement when directing
central/local governments and all agencies and businesses when they set their planning documents and now the reforming
of the RMA must include changes reflecting that RMA is now legally directing that everyone considers during planning
that; QUOTE; “placed wellbeing at the heart of the Government’s policy-making”..
For instance, when we present our verbal/written submissions to local government planning meetings most of those
committees have no knowledge or involvement with any government directives of considering “Community wellbeing at all so
the submissions are usually ignored and we are left totally without any wellbeing.
CEAC recalls when the last National Government setup directives within central/local Governments and all agencies and
businesses, Steven Joyce the Minister of Finance who set up of the ‘Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment’
(MBIE) sent a (reported) very strong directive to all staff in those agencies and business interests that MBIE covers,
to ‘strictly’ follow the directives set in place by his office.
We encourage Grant Robertson who has the same Ministerial responsibility as Steven Joyce had, now carry out the same
‘blunt’ strict compliant directive instrument to all staff get all agencies and industry to comply with Government
policy.
Because under National using a ‘strict blunt directive instrument’ sadly was ultimately required using that depth of his
directive that was ultimately successful in having it adhered to, as Steven Joyce was known as being a forceful
individual.
But under the current Government most Central/local Government, their agencies and business had failed miserably to
comply with Government policy directives/legislation in planning for “Community wellbeing” within their planning
instruments thus far at the detriment of the communities health and wellbeing.
Wellbeing to be enshrined in law
Wednesday, 11 September 2019, 2:24 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Government
Hon Grant Robertson
Minister of Finance
11 September 2019 PĀNUI PĀPĀHO
MEDIA STATEMENT
QUOTE;
Legislation has been introduced in Parliament today to ensure every Government considers the wellbeing of New Zealanders
when creating future budgets.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson says the successful delivery of the Wellbeing Budget this year placed wellbeing at the
heart of the Government’s policy-making.
“However, achieving genuine and enduring change requires establishing a public sector and systems geared towards this
new way of working.
“Rather than measuring progress in purely economic terms, this Government is committed to taking a broader approach to
measuring New Zealand’s progress.
“This includes fiscal policy, where we want to consider the wellbeing of our environment, people and communities,
alongside existing macroeconomic and fiscal indicators,” Grant Robertson says.
The Public Finance (Wellbeing) Amendment Bill achieves this by requiring the Government to set wellbeing objectives and
explain how those objectives will guide the development of its Budget.
It will also require the Treasury to report periodically on the state of wellbeing in New Zealand.
“We need to support long-term intergenerational wellbeing and a build a more forward-looking, strategic focus into our
Budget process.
“We will always have a careful and close eye on our fiscal performance, but New Zealanders have told us that that is not
sufficient.
“We’ll keep the strengths of our current statutory fiscal requirements, and build on these with a wider framework.
“A Budget needs to reflect the importance of the health of our people, our environment, and our communities, and that is
what this Bill will do,” Grant Robertson says.
The changes are expected to be in place for Budget 2020.
UNQUOTE
Finally ;TO Hon’ Gant Robertson;
Please give consideration to our loss of local body representation; when CEAC as possibly others as NGO’s presents our
many verbal/written submissions to local Government Annual Plans meetings, as we find that most of those committee
members have absolutely no care, consideration, knowledge or involvement with any Government directives of considering
‘Community wellbeing’ at all, - so the submissions are usually ignored and we are left totally without any wellbeing,
and that is a loss to our communities environment, health, wellbeing and demoralising to our community.
We used to have a Ministry of Transport official from Wellington always attend our HB Regional Council Land transport
Meetings who was very supportive of our submissions we gave before their committee about our community concerns of the
‘environmental impact of road transport issues’ but sadly when National came into government in 2008 we lost all
Ministry of Transport representation, and our support for better environmental transport planning.
We advise that this Government must now arrange to have an ‘Environmental Community Health and Wellbeing Consultant’
preferably from the Ministry of the Environment and Transport to represent communities at every Local Body Plan meetings
(including transport) in NZ in future to fully promote this worthy policy; quote; ‘policy, where we want to consider the wellbeing of our environment, people and communities’.
END