The Government has announced its plan to introduce two new pieces of legislation to replace the Resource Management Act (RMA) 1991:
- The first will focus on delivering urban development and infrastructure to align with the coalition Government’s Going for Housing Growth programme and the 30-year National Infrastructure Plan.
- The second will centre on environmental protection and managing effects of activities on the environment.
Replacing the RMA is Phase Three of the Government’s resource management reform program. Earlier phases focused on repealing the Natural and Built Environment and Spatial Planning Acts from the previous Labour Government, and recently introduced the Fast-track Approvals Bill, which is currently with the Environment Select Committee, along with targeted RMA amendments.
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Parliamentary Under-Secretary Simon Court stated that the new framework will prioritise property rights. Aligned with the Government’s goals for infrastructure and urban development, the intent is to create an enabling framework.
The new system’s core feature is two Acts, and their interaction will be crucial. The Government plans to focus the resource management system on managing actual environmental effects, emphasising the need for integration in the proposed legislation to support urban development.
National direction will remain key, with standards intended to reduce resource consents and enhance compliance monitoring. Ongoing reforms include amending existing national direction and introducing a National Policy Statement for Infrastructure. For national direction to be effective, it must be well-drafted and integrated to avoid unintended issues.
Some design elements resemble the previous Government’s RMA framework, such as using spatial plans and combining regional and district plans into a single regulatory plan per region. These aim for efficiency, depending on effective planning processes.
The new system also seeks to simplify and expedite development processes. Future details on these processes and their comparison to the Fast-track Approvals Bill are still unclear. The Government has hinted at establishing a new planning tribunal to expedite minor dispute resolutions.
Timeframes
An Expert Advisory Group is to develop the “blueprint” for the new legislation before Christmas this year. The aim is for the bills to be before Parliament next year and to come into force by mid-2026.
