“There is still much work to be done”
The New Zealand government has released a draft of the proposed law replacing the Resource Management Act (RMA). However, not everyone in the industry is satisfied with the result.
Leader of the Opposition Judith Collins advised the government to act more urgently to cut through complex planning rules and increase housing supply.
“The real risk is that at the end of this process, we end up with something that is more costly, complicated, and cumbersome than we already have,” Collins said.
“Last year, I said we needed urgent legislation to free up housing supply because we can’t wait years for the RMA to be replaced.”
Collins claimed her Urgent Measures Bill could solve the housing crisis in New Zealand as it requires councils to urgently upgrade their district plans to make building homes easier.
“When Labour does eventually pass their new laws, it looks set to see town planning become even more complex today. Labour’s Natural and Built Environment’s Act (NBA) empowers regional planning committees to set rules for everything from biodiversity, climate change, ecological integrity, and housing supply,” Collins added.
Read more: Government releases draft for RMA replacement
The EMA has welcomed the proposed NBA. However, it warned that “there is still much work to be done in replacing the outdated” RMA.
“The new act is the first of three proposed to replace the current RMA, and this exposure draft is an important and welcome first step in repealing and reforming our planning and environmental legislation,” said EMA head of advocacy and strategy Alan McDonald.
The EMA, Property Council New Zealand, Infrastructure NZ, the Environmental Defence Society (EDS), and BusinessNZ had been encouraging the government and opposition parties to take a fresh look at the RMA.
“This is just the first step in what will hopefully deliver a faster, less complex, and more environmentally protective and business user-friendly legislation,” McDonald said.
“The intent to cut the number of plans to just 14 while still enabling localised input should reduce current complexity in the planning regime and give more clarity for infrastructure development, industrial development, and, crucially, faster housing development.”
However, the EMA warned that how the act fits with the forthcoming Strategic Planning Bill and the Climate Adaptation Bill will be critical to the reforms’ success.
“Potentially replacing one RMA with the new acts could possibly add to rather than reduce complexity, so the interface between the three will be critical,” McDonald said.
