The Government has launched a public consultation on the most extensive package of changes to the national direction under the RMA in New Zealand's history, with proposals to streamline or remove many of the burdensome regulations hindering the country's primary sector from achieving growth.
National direction refers to rules and policies sitting under the Resource Management Act (RMA) that inform how councils develop and implement local plans and rules.
The Government has released three discussion documents proposing amendments to 12 different instruments and the introduction of four new instruments, centred on three packages: infrastructure and development, the primary sector and freshwater.
“The primary sector underpins New Zealand’s economy and standard of living. When farmers and foresters do well, New Zealand does well – but for too long, New Zealand’s primary producers have struggled against overly restrictive, confusing and duplicative regulations,” said RMA Minister Chris Bishop.
“The RMA has made it harder to create the high-value products the world needs from the land and sea. Our package of proposed reforms seeks to streamline and clarify many of the bugbears causing our primary industries sector sleepless nights and lost productivity.”
The Government has a comprehensive RMA reform programme well in train. They have already repealed Labour’s botched RMA reforms and made a series of quick and targeted amendments to provide relief to farmers, such as repealing the permitted and restricted discretionary intensive winter grazing regulations.
The Fast-track Approvals Act has also been passed to make it much easier to deliver projects with regional or nationally significant benefits.
“The changes we’re now proposing to national direction under the existing RMA give effect to a range of coalition commitments, can be done quickly and relatively easily, and will help unclog the growth arteries of the economy. The changes have been designed to be able to transition to the new RMA system once implemented.”
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay said that farmers and growers have had enough of rules that make it harder to farm, not easier. This Government is getting out of the way and backing rural New Zealand with a common-sense approach to primary sector regulation.
These changes will make it easier to invest on-farm, lift productivity, and build long-term resilience in the face of weather and market challenges. It’s about freeing farmers to do what they do best: producing high-quality food and fibre for New Zealand and the world, without being bogged down in paperwork.
The Primary Sector package proposed changes to eight national direction instruments. These changes will remove restrictions on non-intensive grazing of beef cattle and deer in wetlands, streamline changes to consent conditions for the aquaculture sector, reduce inefficiencies in the forestry sector, and better enable priority activities in coastal areas.
“The significant costs on farmers to fence off cattle and deer from wetlands on low-intensity properties were way out of proportion to the environmental risk. This proposed change is another step to cut red tape for farmers and let them find solutions that work for their farm and their catchment,” said Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard.
The Government intends to have 16 new or updated national direction instruments in place by the end of this year.
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