Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

EDS cautiously welcomes Resource Legislation Amendment Bill

EDS cautiously welcomes Resource Legislation Amendment Bill

The Resource Legislation Amendment Bill, introduced in Parliament earlier today has been cautiously welcomed by the Environmental Defence Society.

“The Bill apparently puts in place a moderate set of progressive reforms. It has dropped the objectionable elements proposed earlier and in that respect is a significant win for our natural heritage and is consistent with our advocacy,” says EDS Chairman Gary Taylor.

“The core environmental protections in Part 2 of the RMA remain intact. There is one addition to section 6 to do with natural hazards which has been well signalled and has merit. There are no other changes to either section 6 or section 7 so the environmental bottom lines remain intact. That is very important.

“The earlier proposal to explicitly prioritise private rights has also been dropped. This is important because in the contest between private rights and the public interest in resource management, the public interest in nature generally loses out.

“The Bill also implements a number of recommendations from the Land and Water Forum. There is a collaborative plan-making track, plan templates, common definitions and some tweaking of national policy statements and national environmental standards.

“There are also changes to the EEZ Act to create what looks like the equivalent of a national policy statement which would set Government priorities for the offshore marine environment. This will need careful analysis. If it enables more weighting in favour of extraction, that would be unfortunate. But if it enables some marine spatial planning that would be helpful in reducing conflict.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“The one area that hasn’t been adequately addressed in this Bill is the disconnect that occurs at present between plan-making and consenting. We put a lot of effort into plans and they have to give effect to national directions. But when it comes to resource consenting, councils only have to “have regard to” plans. We need to tighten up the connections and there may be a need for amendments to section 104 of the RMA. This is we think the big gap in our RMA framework and needs fixing.

“There are potential areas of concern in the Bill that need careful consideration that relate mostly to processes.

The red flag areas include the third plan-making track for so-called urgent situations; the provision for blended hearings for RMA consents and approvals under other acts; further limitations on standing to be a submitter; the changes to the appointment process to EPA hearings; allowing councils to not require consents for minor issues; the reversal of the presumption on subdivision; and no doubt much more that will become evident after detailed analysis.

“This is a big Bill. The devil will be in the detail. We will take time to review it and will be making substantive submissions to the select committee. We expect that to be a thorough and constructive process, unlike normal select committee processes.

“EDS will be posting its analysis of the Bill on our website,” Mr Taylor concluded.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.