The Natural and Built Environment Bill (NBA) heralds the end of a traditional first-in first-served approach to resource allocation, particularly in respect of freshwater. The NBA introduces three resource allocation ‘principles’ – which are sustainability, equity, and efficiency. The National Planning Framework (NPF) can give further detail on the meaning of these principles, and they …
After much anticipation, the Government has now unveiled two of the three new replacements to the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA)– the Spatial Planning Act (currently the Spatial Planning Bill) (SPA); and – the Natural and Built Environment Act (currently the Natural and Built Environment Bill) (NBA)). The third bill is the Climate Adaptation Act …
New Zealand’s first National Adaptation Plan (the Plan) has now been published. This Plan is required under the Climate Change Response Act 2002 and responds to the risks identified in the National Climate Change Risk Assessment 2020, which included risks relating to indigenous and coastal ecosystems, communities, the economy, and the built environment. At a …
The Government has recently released New Zealand’s first emissions reduction plan (the Plan), which sets out policies and strategies to meet the first emissions budget (the Budget). The Budget sets the permitted greenhouse gas emissions over a multi-year period. Each Budget will permit less annual emissions than the previous Budget, to transition towards net zero …
Over the last few years, climate change events such as flooding and droughts have become more severe and impactful on New Zealander’s lives. As a response, the Government has proposed a draft national adaption plan that aims to build climate resilience over the next six years to the irreversible effects of climate change. This plan …
Planning for Climate Change – The Draft National Adaptation Plan Read More »
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 has released an ‘exposure draft’ of the National Built Environments Act (NBA), intended to replace the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) which has, for many years, been held responsible by developers and environmentalists alike for failing to adequately and effectively manage our natural resources. The release of the exposure draft is a novel …
New Directions and New Name for Resource Management Read More »
On 10 February 2021, Minister for the Environment, David Parker, announced that the Resource Management Act 1991 (“RMA”) will be repealed and replaced with three new Acts by the end of 2022. These are the: Natural and Built Environments Act; Strategic Planning Act; and Climate Change Adaptation Act. These new acts seek to improve the …
2020 certainly isn’t the year we thought it would be and the Covid-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020 (the Act) definitely wasn’t on the Government’s legislative agenda back in January. The Act was passed under urgency and is part of the government’s economic response to Covid-19, promoting development as a way to stimulate the economy. …
The Resource Management (get your) Amendment Act (together) 2020 (RMAA) is the latest in a never-ending series of amendments to the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). The RMAA came into force on 1 July 2020 and introduces some significant changes, particularly for the freshwater planning process. It also enhances public participation in the planning process, …
