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

 

RMA Needs Top-to-tail Overhaul, Not More Band-aids, Feds Says

Federated Farmers is on board with the chorus of voices across diverse sector groups saying the Resource Management Act is broken and no longer fit for purpose.

"What started off as a relatively simple, one-stop-shop piece of legislation formed 30 years ago to promote sustainable development and environmental protection has been chewed over so much it is no longer recognisable," Feds resource management spokesperson Karen Williams says.

"The RMA has become unwieldy and cripplingly expensive. It creates huge hurdles for development and economic wellbeing, and struggles to provide the environmental outcomes everyone wants, including addressing cumulative effects."

Federated Farmers supported, and participated in, the full review of the RMA commissioned by the government last November. The review panel, led by Tony Randerson QC, was excellent to engage with, Karen says.

"We are a little mystified why the government is pushing ahead as we speak with changes to the RMA when they’ve admitted a fundamental overhaul of the legislation is overdue."

Federated Farmers’ preference is for resource management legislation to remain within one statute, and more importantly that it sticks with its core ‘effects based’ principles.

"We must retain the existing requirement to balance economic, cultural, social and environmental outcomes so that the legislation can deliver what Kiwis need going forward in a very different world."

Water storage, and positive on the ground work such as restoration and enhancement of wetlands, are just two examples of environmental win/wins that are being impeded by the RMA as currently written and implemented, Karen says.

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.

"Federated Farmers will work through the details of the review panel’s report and we look forward to working alongside the government to find a better way to provide for the sustainable development of the nation’s resources for the betterment of all New Zealanders.

"We certainly hope that the process of developing a new RMA framework is inclusive and enables parties to engage in robust and fair discussion."

© Scoop Media

 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... 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.