The Ministry for the Environment is consulting on four amendments to regulations that support the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Climate Change (Unit Register) Regulations 2008 The current regulations allow ETS participants to exchange NZ Units (NZU) for Crown-held New Zealand Assigned Amount Units (AAU). Both NZU and AAU are carbon credits that represent one metric …
The Government is concerned over new exotic forests being treated as carbon sinks under the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). By way of background, the ETS was implemented under the Climate Change Response Act 2002 and is a key tool for ensuring that New Zealand meets its domestic and international climate change targets. Businesses involved in …
The Emissions Trading Scheme: Should Exotic Trees be Treated as Carbon Sinks? Read More »
As of 21 December 2021, the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2021 came into force amending the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) to set new medium density residential standards (MDRS) and make other amendments to the RMA that are set to change the future of housing development in New Zealand. …
Housing Intensification – The Solution to New Zealand’s Housing Crisis? Read More »
The Government is reviewing Aotearoa/New Zealand’s conservation laws and has released a roadmap setting out its work programme. The existing legal framework includes 24 (generally outdated) statutes, including the Wildlife Act, Reserves Act, Marine Mammals Protection Act, Marine Reserves Act, and Conservation Act. The reforms will be comprehensive and will involve reviewing the whole conservation …
While the management of New Zealand’s water has previously been the domain of 67 local councils, full-scale water reform by the Government is proposed to consolidate this into just four powerful entities. Central Government considers this is necessary to ensure all Kiwis have access to safe, reliable and affordable water – local authorities are not …
Three Waters – Big Changes Proposed for Water Management in NZ Read More »
Purchasing a kiwifruit orchard comes with lots to think about and plenty of due diligence to undertake. Often the purchase will be conditional on these further investigations, so what is important to consider? For most orchardists, water and compliance are key considerations. Often water is sourced from a bore, either on the land itself or …
The Government last week introduced the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Bill (the Bill) to Parliament, which is the result of collaboration between New Zealand’s two major political parties. The collaboration itself signifies the seriousness of Aotearoa’s housing supply issues, with the Bill aimed at introducing mechanisms to mitigate these issues. The …
Intensification in New Zealand’s big cities to cool the housing market and the climate Read More »
The Government is proposing changes to intensive winter grazing regulations in order to address practical challenges raised by stakeholders. These regulations are set out in the Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Freshwater) Regulations 2020 (NESF), which were introduced as part of the Government’s Essential Freshwater reforms. A Discussion Document setting out the proposed changes …
Intensive winter grazing regulations made more practical Read More »
The Government is proposing changes to natural wetland provisions in the Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Freshwater) Regulations 2020 (NESF) and the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 (NPSFM). Both documents were introduced as part of the Government’s Essential Freshwater reforms and introduced strong regulatory protection for natural wetlands. The proposed changes respond …
A significant case in relation to development contributions was recently decided by the High Court, in relation to Hamilton City Council’s (HCC) development contributions policy (DC policy) and its application. Development contributions are a funding tool for territorial authorities to charge those undertaking developments a portion of the capital expenditure cost necessary to service growth …
No joy for developers in landmark development contributions case Read More »
