News & Resources
Environment & Resource Management
Resource Management Reform
On 10 February 2021, the Minister for the Environment announced that the Resource Management Act 1991 will be repealed.
Fast tracking New Zealand’s COVID 19 recovery
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.
Fresh National Direction: The National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020
The brand new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 (NPSFM20) came into force on 3 September 2020, replacing the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2014 (NPSFM14). The new statement forms part of the Government’s overhaul of the freshwater planning framework and introduces a slew of changes to the way regional councils are required to manage freshwater resources in the future.
Fresh National Directions: The National Environmental Standards for Freshwater 2020
The Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Freshwater) Regulations 2020 (“the NES:F”) came into effect on 3 September 2020 as part of the Government’s wider “Action for Healthy Waterways” package (which also includes the new Freshwater Planning Process contained in the Resource Management Amendment Act 2020, the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management and Stock Exclusion Regulations). This article provides a short summary of the provisions in the NES:F.
The Resource Management Amendment Act 2020
The RMAA came into force on 1 July 2020 and introduces some significant changes, particularly for the freshwater planning process.
New Zealand’s changing resource management landscape
2020 has seen significant changes for the resource management framework in New Zealand, with more substantial changes on the horizon.
COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-Track Consenting) Bill
The COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-Track Consenting) Bill aims to bypass the Resource Management Act 1991 in order to speed up the consenting process for projects.
Resource Management Amendment Bill
The Bill would amend the Resource Management Act 1991 and the Resource Legislation Amendment Act 2017 - its purpose to reduce complexity, increase certainty, and reinstate public participation opportunities.
Reimagining the resource management system: issues and options
The Ministry for the Environment has released the Resource Management Review Panel’s issues and options paper.
The Panel seeks comments on the paper and proposes 44 specific questions to answer. It welcomes submissions until Monday 3 February 2020.
https://www.mfe.govt.nz/sites/default/files/media/RMA/comprehensive-review-of-the-resource-management-system-opportunities-for-change-issues-and-options-paper.pdf
Untangling the Net: Marine Spatial Planning under the RMA
Dewhirst update: the bed of a river begins with its banks, not its fullest flow
The Court of Appeal has dismissed the Canterbury Regional Council’s appeal of the High Court’s decision on how to find the “bed” of a river under the Resource Management Act 1991.
Action for Healthy Waterways: Proposed National Environmental Standards for Freshwater
On 5 September 2019 the Government released the long-awaited package of freshwater reforms. The Action for Healthy Waterways package seeks to stop the degradation of New Zealand waterways and restore them to a healthy state.
The official closing date for submissions is Thursday 17 October 2019 at 5pm. However, submissions will be accepted for a further two weeks beyond that date, until 31 October 2019.