Cabinet has agreed on ten core design features for the new resource management system, as listed here from a statement from the Beehive released on Friday 20 September:
- Narrow the scope of the resource management system to focus on managing actual effects on the environment.
- Establish two Acts with clear and distinct purposes – one to manage environmental effects arising from activities, and another to enable urban development and infrastructure.
- Strengthen and clarify the role of environmental limits and how they are to be developed.
- Provide for greater use of national standards to reduce the need for resource consents and simplify council plans. This would mean that an activity which complies with the standards cannot be subject to a consent requirement.
- Shift the focus away from consenting before activities can get underway, and towards compliance, monitoring and enforcement of activities’ compliance with national standards.
- Use spatial planning and a simplified designation process to lower the cost of future infrastructure.
- Realise efficiencies by requiring one regulatory plan per region, jointly prepared by regional and district councils.
- Provide for a rapid, low-cost resolution of disputes between neighbours and between property owners and councils, with the potential for a new Planning Tribunal (or equivalent).
- Uphold Treaty of Waitangi settlements and the Crown’s obligations.
- Provide faster and cheaper processes with less reliance on litigation, contained within shorter and simpler legislation that is more accessible.
An Expert Advisory Group has been established to work alongside officials at the Ministry for the Environment and other agencies to develop the core details of the new system. As detailed in the ‘Phase Three‘ fact sheet [PDF] the EAG is made up of:
- Chair – Janette Campbell – Environmental barrister and former Environmental Defence Society director.
- Paul Melville – GM Policy and Advocacy, Federated Farmers.
- Rukumoana Schaafhausen (Ngati Haua) – recently the Chair of Waikato-Tainui and is currently serving across a number of Iwi, community, private and public organisations in governance roles.
- Kevin Counsell – an economic consultant at NERA – a subsidiary of Marsh McLennan’s Oliver Wyman Group.
- Gillian Crowcroft – Technical Director Environment, Harrison Grierson.
- Christine Jones – GM Strategy, Growth & Governance, Tauranga City Council.
- Mark Chrisp – Founding Director, Mitchell Daysh Ltd.
The Hon. Chris Bishop, as the minister responsible for RMA reform, made the announcement in a speech to the Resource Management Practitioners conference in Ngāmotu New Plymouth, alongside parliamentary under-secretary Simon Court.
Media coverage since Friday has included:
- Resource Management Act to be replaced by two new laws – RNZ
- RMA reform not for the ‘vexatious Tom, Dick and Harry’ type – The Post | with Video
- RMA reform should be completed in 2026 – NBR | Paywall
- How soon can the Government reform the RMA? – NewstalkZB | Audio
