The Government today released for consultation an unprecedented package of reforms to national direction under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). This review covers 12 existing instruments and proposes 4 new ones – making it the largest overhaul of national direction in the Act’s history.

National direction – including national policy statements, environmental standards, planning standards, and section 360 regulations – sits at the core of the RMA.

“These instruments drive local planning and consent decisions across key domains such as freshwater, indigenous biodiversity, the coastal marine area, and more. They are, in effect, the engine-room of the environmental management system and are incredibly important,” said EDS Chief Operating Officer and resource management lawyer Shay Schlaepfer.

EDS will be presenting detailed feedback. Their concerns include:

• Undermining Te Mana o te Wai which would significantly weaken protections by removing the clear requirement to prioritise the health and wellbeing of water bodies over uses.
• Cattle grazing in wetlands now allowed.
• The reprioritisation of freshwater objectives is likely to leave gaps, have cumulative adverse effects, allow more pollution, and breach FTAs.
• Easier consenting pathways for mining are proposed in valued environments.
• The review of the National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry appears to sidestep the fundamental structural and operational failings in those standards.

More: Shay Schlaepfer 027 946 8079 shay@eds.org.nz