Media Release
Hon Marian Hobbs
Minister for the Environment

29 March 2000

Government Clarifies Position On Rma Bill

The Minister for the Environment Marian Hobbs has advised Parliament's Local Government and Environment Committee to consider submissions on the Resources Management Amendment Bill and report back to Parliament in the normal way.

"As the bill is before the committee and several hundred submissions have been received on it, the government is no longer looking to 'split' the bill," Marian Hobbs said. "The government has an open mind on most of the bill but that doesn't mean we endorse all the provisions."

The government is eager to reduce compliance costs but this should not be at the expense of sound environmental management, the Minister said.

"It is important that the principles of the Act are not undermined," she added. "These include sustainable and integrated resource management, public participation, local democracy and recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi."

But, Marian Hobbs said, the government is unlikely to support amendments covering:

 Contestable processing of resource consent applications
 Mandatory use of independent commissioners to hear consents when requested by an applicant or submitter.
 Direct referral of consent applications to the Environment Court.

ENDS

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