Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2024

The Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Act made targeted changes to the Resource Management Act 1991 and national direction.

Full text

Status

In force from 25 October 2024

About the Act

The Act:

  • Excludes the hierarchy of obligations in the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM) from consideration in resource consenting, while a review and replacement of the NPS-FM is undertaken.
  • Repeals the low slope map and associated requirements from stock exclusion regulations.
  • Repeals the permitted and restricted discretionary activity regulations and associated conditions for intensive winter grazing in the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater (NES-F). The Act replaces these with standalone regulations on riparian setback and critical source areas. 
  • Aligns 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. 
  • Suspends 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.
  • Streamlines 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.
  • Clarifies councils’ ability to grant consent for discharges that would result in significant adverse effects, provided conditions reduce effects over time.
  • Pauses the roll-out of freshwater farm plans until work to improve the system is finalised.
  • Restricts notification of freshwater planning instruments (regional policy statements and plans that give effect to the NPS-FM 2020) until a new NPS-FM takes effect on 31 December 2025.

Next steps

Factsheets are coming soon.

Regulatory impact statements and supplementary analysis reports