Many extremely knowledgeable and expert people have grave misgivings about changes the Government is proposing to the RMA this year - here is a message from Forest and Bird and an opportunity to take part in some online seminars with a solicitor to find out more about the changes and how you can take action.
RMA: our people, our place
Last week at the National Party conference in Nelson, Environment Minister Amy Adams announced the Resource Management Act changes that she’ll introduce to Parliament before Christmas.
The Government is proposing some changes which will make planning simpler and more consistent across the country. But it is also pursuing proposals described as “radical” by the PCE and others - to rewrite the Act’s core principles, weaken environmental protection, and further limit people’s participation. Instead, the balance of power will shift towards Ministers, developers, and private land owners.
This is the most significant change to the Act in a generation, and is widely opposed.
As Rod Oram sums it up: “The Government says this will speed up the Act and benefit the economy without accelerating environmental degradation. It bases this on a flimsy discussion paper that relied on assertion and gossip rather than any hard facts and analysis.”
The changes that are proposed - rewriting sections 6 and 7, which affect all planning, resource consenting and regulation-making under the Act - will leave us with huge uncertainty and cost, by politicising the Act and opening it up to fresh litigation.
Rod Oram again: “A big majority of RMA lawyers say the proposals would so drastically change the Act it would substantially invalidate its 22 years of case precedents. Councils and courts would struggle for a long time to interpret and restore some certainty to the act, which would only increase the time and cost of consents.”
Learn more on our website about Forest & Bird’s concerns, and what you can do to take action, before it’s too late.
Online seminars
To help people understand what’s proposed, and feel more comfortable in getting active to support the RMA, next week Forest & Bird solicitor Sally Gepp will host two free online meetings to talk to people about why it’s so important to Forest & Bird’s work, and to communities, that the worst of these RMA changes are stopped.
Session times:
- Tuesday August 27, 12 noon
- Wednesday August 28, 7 pm
Please RSVP to Sally, if you’re interested in joining one of these sessions: s.gepp@forestandbird.org.nz .
Armed with this kind of information, we hope you’ll feel more comfortable in lobbying your local politician, writing a letter or submission, or talking to friends.
Join our contact list
If you’d like to know more about what is happening with our RMA campaign, you can join our contact list. We promise not to swamp you with mail, but if you’d like regular brief updates on what is happening, or would be prepared for our local staff to get in touch with you and let you know how you can support the campaign in your own community, this is the list for you.
Appeal
And finally, the good news: we’ve had a fantastic response to our RMA appeal, to which you can donate - if you haven’t already - by clicking here!
Thank you.
Claire Browning
