On 1 September, the Environmental Defence Society released its third and final report examining the government’s phase 3 resource management reforms. It explores seven keys shifts that are being proposed for the new system, including:

• Narrowing the scope of the system to externalities, and the implications for land use, urban design, and climate resilience;
• Proposals for regulatory takings and the risks of undermining public interest environmental protections;
• How legislative design – splitting the RMA into a Planning Act and Natural Environment Act – could fragment management and increase complexity;
• The purpose and principles of the new legislation, including weak recognition of the environment and Treaty obligations;
• Frameworks for environmental limits, strategic spatial planning, and national standardisation

The report is available here.

More: Greg Severinsen greg@eds.org.nz or 021 585 951