Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Bill

The Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Bill proposes urgent targeted changes to the resource management system. The Bill aims to reduce the regulatory burden on key sectors including farming, mining and other primary industries.

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About the Bill
Next steps
Regulatory impact statements and supplementary analysis reports
Related pages

Full text

Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Bill [New Zealand Legislation website]

Status

The Bill has been introduced to the House and public submissions are being accepted by the Primary Production Committee. 

Parliament’s website provides information on how you can make a submission Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Bill - New Zealand Parliament (www.parliament.nz)

Closing date for submissions is 30 June.

About the Bill

First amendment Bill introduced to Parliament (23 May 2024) [Beehive website]

Urgent changes to system through first RMA amendment Bill (23 April 2024) [Beehive website]

Changes proposed in the Bill will:

  • Exclude the hierarchy of obligations in the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM) from resource consenting. This will address concerns raised about the way it is being applied while a review and replacement of the NPS-FM is undertaken.
  • Repeal the contentious low slope map and associated requirements from stock exclusion regulations, reducing costs for farmers.
  • Repeal the permitted and restricted discretionary activity regulations and associated conditions for intensive winter grazing from the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater (NES-F).
  • Align the provisions for coal mining with other mineral extraction activities under the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (NPS-IB), NPS-FM and NES-F.
  • Suspend for three years requirements under the NPS-IB for councils to identify new Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) and include them in district plans. The Bill also extends some SNA implementation timeframes to 31 December 2030.
  • Speed up and simplify the process for preparing and amending national direction, including national environmental standards, national planning standards, national policy statements and the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement.

Next steps

If passed, the Bill would become law by the end of the year.

Regulatory impact statements and supplementary analysis reports

Note:

The proposal to suspend, for three years, requirements under the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for councils to identify new Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) is not subject to Cabinet’s impact analysis requirements as it formed part of the Government’s 100-day plan.