The RM Reform Update is a regular update from the Ministry for the Environment to people and organisations that have an interest in the reform of the resource management system. If you would like to subscribe to these updates, please click here.
Kia ora koutou,
It has been a busy time over these past few months as we have undertaken targeted engagement with iwi/Māori, local government and key stakeholders on the key components of our future resource management system.
For us it is an exciting time too, as good progress is being made towards establishing a system that will benefit all New Zealanders.
Ministers are still to make decisions on key parts of the system design following on from the engagement process. We will then shift our focus towards drafting the legislation.
We expect the two new Bills, the Spatial Planning Bill and the Natural and Built Environments Bill will be introduced into Parliament later in 2022. The select committee process which follows will be the next opportunity for the public and stakeholders to have their say.
As we look towards the next phase of our resource management reform journey, I’d like to take a moment to thank you for your interest and your feedback so far as we work to create a future resource management system that is workable and enduring.
Ngā mihi nui,
Janine Smith, Deputy Secretary, Natural and Built System and Climate Mitigation.
At the end of February, the Ministry for the Environment concluded its latest round of targeted engagement on the reform of the resource management system.
Since November 2021 we have run a series of forums and hui with Māori, local government and key sector stakeholders, sharing our thinking on parts of the future resource system that were not included in the NBA exposure draft. You can read more in the engagement document 'Our future resource management system – materials for discussion' [PDF, 4.4 MB].
We recently ran information sessions for the primary sector and environmental interest groups. Alongside these, we took the opportunity to meet with Food and Fibre Forum Leaders and key environmental groups to get their feedback on the key components of the system. Hearing different perspectives from different groups is vital to understanding how the system will impact its users.
The targeted engagement programme also included meeting with local government Mayors, Chairs and Chief Executives from across New Zealand through 14 Mayoral Forums. This is in addition to the ongoing advice we receive from the Local Government Steering Group on RM Reform.
We also took the opportunity to meet with a core group of sector chief executives representing ENGOs, the planning profession, business, infrastructure, industry and the primary sector. We appreciated the groups insight on the practicality and workability of the future system and we look forward to meeting with them on an ongoing basis.
Through twenty-two regional hui we gained great insights into the Te Ao Māori perspective on the future system. This is in addition to the ongoing engagement with the two Māori collective leadership groups that we have been meeting with since January 2021.
Finally, more than 1650 people attended the series of information sessions that we held over this engagement period, reflecting the high level of interest for this work amongst our stakeholders. A series of information sessions were held for local government, the private sector, the Resource Management Law Association and the New Zealand Planning Institute.
This topped off an intensive targeted engagement period, with feedback from these key groups helping to inform the Ministerial decisions that shape the NBA and SPA legislation that will be introduced later in 2022.
Feedback on the engagement material closed on 28 February with 150 groups providing written submissions. The key themes arising from these submissions will be published on our website next month.
Stakeholders and the general public will have the opportunity to have their say with consultation on the NBA and SPA Bills expected to occur at the end of 2022 through the select committee process.
Below is a breakdown of submissions by submitter type:
| Written submissions | |
|---|---|
| Hapū/iwi/Māori | 93* |
| Local government | 36 |
| Infrastructure | 6 |
| Primary sector | 4 |
| Industry/professional organisation | 8 |
| ENGO | 3 |
| Business | 1 |
| 151 | |
*Of the 93 hapū/iwi/Māori submissions received, 41 were form-type submissions.
The Local Government Resource Management Reform Steering Group has developed advice on how to better enable local democratic input and accountability in the future resource management system, for the Government to consider.
Environment Minister David Parker asked the group for advice on how the system can retain local democratic input while improving system efficiency and effectiveness. A sub-group of the steering group has come up with a number of proposals to help the policy work on plan-making processes which is currently underway.
Along with the majority of councils, the Local Government members of the steering group believe local needs and desires must be reflected and included in the resource management plans.
The report 'Enabling local voice and accountability in the future resource management system' was prepared for the Steering Group by consultant firm Frank Advice. Key proposals include:
The Steering Group has socialised the proposals with the local government sector and feedback was received. The final report is being presented to the Minister for the Environment for his consideration and to inform policy decisions. It will also be made available on the Ministry’s website.
The Ministry for the Environment is planning a public engagement which joins up the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and managed retreat conversations.
People will be able to have their say from next month on a draft national adaptation plan. This plan will help New Zealand adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Climate change is already impacting New Zealanders. More change will come, and impacts will increase. This is because historic emissions have already changed our climate and will continue to do so in years to come. How much more change and how fast change will happen depends on every country’s contribution to reduce global emissions.
The draft National Adaptation Plan will sit alongside the Emissions Reduction Plan. Together they will lay out New Zealand’s overall response to climate change to transition to a zero carbon, climate resilient future.
The first national climate change risk assessment (NCCRA) for New Zealand, issued in 2020, set out the priority risks New Zealand faces from climate change. These risks range from risks to coastal ecosystems, community wellbeing, potable water supplies, and buildings. The NCCRA also identified systemic risks from institutional arrangements, practices and tools which do not take account of uncertainty and change over long timeframes
The national adaptation plan, New Zealand’s first, focuses on addressing these priority risks.
There will also be opportunities for conversations on aspects of managed retreat policy to inform the development of the Climate Adaptation Act. The Climate Adaptation Act is part of the Government’s resource management reform programme, repealing the Resource Management Act and enacting a suite of new legislation.
Managed retreat is an approach to reduce or eliminate exposure to intolerable risk, which enables people to strategically relocate assets, activities, and sites of cultural significance (to Māori and non-Māori) away from at-risk areas within a planned period.
A new managed retreat system will raise different sets of issues and impacts for people, whānau, and communities, depending on where they are in New Zealand. We are keen to understand the varying perspectives on those issues to help inform policy development and the design of the Act.
We have begun early conversations with Māori on managed retreat via online workshops to set the context for further engagement during the NAP public consultation. To pre-register your interest or for any further information or questions on Māori engagement please contact Chris.Brankin@mfe.govt.nz.
Upcoming workshop details are as follows:
If you have a query about the RM Reform programme please contact us at RM.Reform@mfe.govt.nz.