EDS has published two new reports that address key questions facing policy makers in “phase 3” of the government’s resource management reforms. Phase 3 involves replacing the Resource Management Act 1991 with two new statutes based on the “enjoyment of property rights” and is a key pillar of the coalition agreement between National and ACT. The RMA replacement Bills will be introduced later this year.

The first report outlines the context in which reform is happening, while the second explores questions about the scope of the resource management system.

The Government says that the current system is too broad in its scope and needs to be limited to deal with “actual” or “material” effects. This would narrow RMA concepts like “effect” and “environment,” which are currently broadly defined, and possibly reduce regional and district council functions. 

But while the RMA needs significant change, its problems are less about scope and more about process – how we get to a decision, how much it costs, and how certain outcomes are.

The reports are here.