The government’s announcement before Xmas to replace the RMA with the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill is an important step forward for the Bay of Plenty and the whole country.
Alan McDonald
The EMA began its call for reform of the RMA nearly a decade ago after identifying the need for a faster, more efficient system that provided certainty for those using it while also protecting the environment.
Large-scale transport projects, housing developments, schools and hospitals have all faced delays at the planning stage as consents grind on. One of the starkest examples is NZ’s largest export port at Tauranga, where efforts to expand container operations have now dragged into a seventh year.
Under the new system, the Planning Bill will define clearly what can and cannot be done in any given city or region for 30 years ahead.
The legislation provides upfront clarity on land use and infrastructure corridors, which is a vast improvement on the old model where regional and district plans varied widely and often conflicted.
The Planning Bill will take a regional approach but apply national rules so that you won’t be subjected to multiple interpretations and variations of the same legislation, as so many currently suffer under the RMA.
Importantly, much of the complex work about deciding what can go where, what’s protected for environmental, cultural or aesthetic reasons and what’s allowed for commercial, residential, business and development reasons will all be decided well in advance.
Then, if your project is in the right designated area and conforms to the environmental standards you’ll get your consent if you need one.
Only those directly affected by changes will need to be consulted, with the emphasis on giving the go-ahead rather than finding reasons to say no. That shift may be difficult for those inculcated in the current system, but if the Minister’s prediction of a more than 40% reduction in consents is the outcome – that will be a boon for development.
Some groups seemed to think consultation was a default power of veto instead of a way of improving outcomes, and they would go to great and expensive lengths to stop projects they didn’t like.
A new Planning Tribunal offers a streamlined path for resolving disputes without prolonged delays or excessive legal costs.
And importantly, the environment will also be clearly protected within those regional plans, especially with a national body charged with enforcing those national standards consistently and rigorously. However, that body must be funded and resourced to carry out that critical role.
With an election later this year, we’d like the proposed changes to secure broad political support, subject to the submission and select committee stage – so that they have a chance to succeed and endure.
