Photo from: Ministry for the Environment. 2019. Action for healthy waterways – A discussion document on national direction for our essential freshwater. The Government released its proposals for freshwater management reform on 5 September 2019, including a consultation draft of the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (“Consultation Draft”) which, once finalised, will represent the …
Photo from : Ministry for the Environment. 2019. Action for healthy waterways – A discussion document on national direction for our essential freshwater. The Ministry for the Environment have released proposed regulations to exclude stock from waterways. The proposed Regulations are part of a wider programme that MfE is implementing to create healthier waterways, and …
National Policy Statement on Urban Development: one of four public consultations opened this month The month of August has seen a flurry of activity coming from the Ministry for the Environment, with its proposed National Policy Statement (NPS) on Urban Development being released hot on the heels of the proposed NPS for Highly Productive Land. …
The Government launched yesterday its overhaul of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) which, as described by Hon David Parker, “takes too long, costs too much and has not protected the environment”. The need had been highlighted by a reform project initiated by the Environmental Defence Society. Parker stressed that “if, with all our advantages, …
Comprehensive overhaul of Resource Management Act underway Read More »
The Productivity Commission, an independent Crown entity, has released its draft report on local government funding and financing following the Government’s request for the Commission to undertake an inquiry. The report runs to just under 300 pages, and includes useful context for the review, as well as high level analysis of trends in local government …
Productivity Commission inquiry: Local government funding and financing Read More »
The first set of National Planning Standards came into force on Friday 3 May 2019. These standards were released by the Minister for the Environment to improve the consistency of council plans and policy statements. Specifically, the standards set nationally consistent structure, format, definitions, noise and vibration metrics, and electronic functionality and accessibility requirements for …
Update: Court of Appeal affirms High Court’s decision What is the “bed” of a braided river? The High Court decision Dewhirst Land Company Ltd v Canterbury Regional Council [2018] NZHC 3338 concerned the correct interpretation of the term “bed” in relation to a river under s2 of the Resource Management Act (RMA). Determining the river …
Best Practice Guidelines for Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement under the Resource Management Act 1991 (the Guidelines) were launched by the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) in July 2018. The introductory message from Minister for the Environment Hon. David Parker says that the purpose of the Guidelines is to clarify what best practice looks like by …
The Court of Appeal has confirmed that Part 2 of the RMA is once again relevant to resource consent applications. On 21 August 2018 the Court of Appeal released its decision of RJ Davidson Family Trust v Marlborough District Council [2018] NZCA 316, which clarifies how Part 2 of the RMA should be considered in …
New fees and forms are introduced with small changes to service requirements due to recent amendments to the Resource Management (Forms, Fees, and Procedure) Regulations 2003. The changes are brought about because of recent amendments to the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) introduced by the Resource Legislation Amendment Act 2017 (RLAA). The change with the …
