RMA reform Bill passes second reading
Hon Dr Nick Smith
Minister for the Environment
14 March 2017
RMA reform Bill passes second
reading
Legislation to improve environmental management, help increase housing supply and affordability, and support jobs and growth has passed its second reading in Parliament 61-59, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.
“The Resource Legislation Amendment Bill is the largest package of reforms to the Resource Management Act (RMA) since it was first passed 25 years ago. It contains 40 proposals that make significant changes to five different Acts.
“This reform is critical to addressing housing supply and affordability by making it easier, faster and less costly to create new sections. Section prices in Auckland have gone from $100,000 in 1990 to $530,000 today and are the core reason housing has become excessively expensive. It addresses this core issue by opening up land supply, reducing the time taken to get consents, reducing the cost of land subdivision and enabling the construction of infrastructure. Parties that are opposing this Bill are blocking the very changes that will make housing more affordable,” Dr Smith says.
This is the second phase of the Government’s resource management reforms, and the dozen significant provisions in the Bill include:
National planning standards to reduce complexity and
cost
Streamlined planning process to improve
responsiveness
Discretion for councils to exempt an
activity from consents
Strengthening of requirements to
manage natural hazard risks
New 10-day consent category
for minor activities
New requirements for council to free
up land for housing
New provisions to enable stock
exclusion from waterways
New provisions requiring
decommissioning plans for offshore platforms
More
generous compensation for land required for public
works
Better alignment with other Acts like Reserves,
Conservation and EEZ
Collaborative planning process to
encourage community-led solutions
Improved Maori
participation arrangements
“The Maori Party has
supported the Bill to this stage and we are continuing to
work with them to ensure detailed changes as a result of the
select committee process are consistent with their agreement
with the Government. I will be meeting with the Maori Party
co-leaders on ensuring we have got the detail right,” Dr
Smith says.
“This second phase of the Government’s RMA reforms builds on the first, and will support the additional jobs, infrastructure and housing needed for a strongly growing and successful economy.”
ends