Hon Dr Nick Smith
Minister for the Environment

18 August 2009
Media Statement

Minister welcomes Resource Management Bill report-back

Environment Minister Nick Smith today welcomed the report back to Parliament on the Resource Management Amendment Bill saying the recommendations will cut through costly red tape without compromising environmental protections.

“Reform of the Resource Management Act is an important part of the Government’s work programme and critical to our country’s future prosperity.

“The costs, uncertainty and delays of the current RMA are adversely affecting New Zealand jobs, infrastructure, and productivity and causing economic frustrations for homeowners, small businesses and farmers.

“The bulk of the 167 changes proposed are to proceed but there are some important refinements made in response to public submissions.”

Significant changes to the Bill include:

• Not proceeding with the removal of the non-complying activity class as the transitional costs exceeded the benefits
• Not limiting the rights of appeal on plans on the basis that the legal test for appeals would have been difficult to interpret
• Strengthening the provisions to ensure the timely and efficient processing of resource consents
• Deferring the changes around requiring authority decision making to the broader Phase II process
• Limiting rather than removing further rounds of submissions on plan changes to ensure property rights are recognised
• Strengthening the process for national consenting and national environmental standards.
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“I am pleased the Select Committee has endorsed the major reforms in this Bill to streamline and simplify the RMA. A sensible balance has been struck between reducing the bureaucracy and ensuring proper process and environmental protection.”

ENDS

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