Improving our Resource Management System

The Government has recently released a discussion document entitled “Improving our resource management system”. The document includes the following in the preamble:

 “The costs, uncertainties and delays of the current resource management system are affecting New Zealand jobs, infrastructure and productivity, and they place an unfair burden on communities. They are causing frustrations for those wanting to progress development. It is also leaving communities with uncertainty and drawn out battles for years on end, bringing with it significant costs. Good resource management should contribute to our future environmental and economic prosperity. The proposals in this document are designed to achieve that.”

 This document reflects the frustrations that have been experienced by the community that the Act is singularly focused on the environment and not balanced with economic considerations. I believe it also reflects a sense of frustration that the enabling provisions of the Act have been ignored, and that the delays and costs imposed by Local Government have become unacceptable.

 The document can be found on the first page of the mfe website https://www.mfe.govt.nz/ or directly at:

https://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/rma/improving-our-resource-management-system.html.

The document contains all the issues under consideration, and links for providing comments and feedback. Comments closed on 2nd April 2013