Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2024

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.