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,
We hope you are staying safe and well in your bubbles as we all navigate life at the current alert levels.
While the current restrictions have brought some disruption to routines and work schedules, the RM reform has been progressing and we are pleased to be able to share some new milestones and updates with you today.
More than three thousand submissions on the exposure draft of the Natural and Built Environments Bill were received by the Environment Select Committee. This is a great response that reflects not only the importance of this legislation but also an encouraging level of engagement and connection with treaty partners, key stakeholders and the public at this early stage of the legislative process. Despite the change in alert levels, select committee hearings have largely progressed as planned, taking place over Zoom.
Thank you to everyone who made a submission. The Natural and Built Environments Bill is the primary piece of legislation that will replace the RMA and as such, it is central to the reform of the resource management system. Your feedback is critical to ensuring a workable and enduring new system. You can read the submissions on the Environment Committee’s website.
There will be further opportunity to give feedback on the reforms next year when the full Bill is introduced to Parliament along with the Strategic Planning Bill.
Ngā mihi,
Janine Smith, Deputy Secretary, Natural and Built System and Climate Mitigation
Submissions on the Natural and Built Environments Bill closed on 4 August and the Environment Select Committee is now in the hearings phase of its inquiry.
The Select Committee will report its findings to Parliament on 22 October 2021. These findings will be made available to the public on the Environment Committee website.
Other components of the legislation that were not included in the exposure draft will be decided by Cabinet before being included in the full Bill.
Both the full Natural and Built Environments Act and the Strategic Planning Act will be introduced into Parliament in 2022. There will be another opportunity to engage with the legislation through a second select committee process. The aim is for the two Bills to be passed into law this parliamentary term. We are working towards the introduction of the draft Climate Adaptation Act in 2023.
Work is underway to plan for establishing and transitioning to the new resource management system. This work is being done while acknowledging the existing complexities and the workload already in place for councils implementing the current regime.
Elements of the establishment and transition plan include:
We will be providing further updates and seeking input around measures to support the successful transition to the new system as the programme develops.
Work is continuing developing the proposed Strategic Planning Act (SPA) which will provide a strategic, long-term approach to how we integrate planning for using land and the coastal marine area, infrastructure provision, environmental protection and climate change matters.
Under the SPA central government, local government and iwi/hapū will work together to develop ‘regional spatial strategies’ (RSSs) for each region, which look out at least 30 years and are informed by longer-term data. It is proposed that RSSs will:
The RSSs will translate national-level direction, including that provided through the National Planning Framework under the Natural and Built Environments Act (NBA), to a regional context. They will be implemented through a range of mechanisms, including regulatory plans under the NBA and funding and investment decisions under the Local Government Act and Land Transport Management Act.
We will continue to keep you updated on the development of the SPA.
The Government is committed to reforming Aotearoa New Zealand’s resource management system so that it is fit-for-the-future and addresses the many challenges facing our environment and our communities. An objective of reform is to improve system efficiency and effectiveness and reduce complexity. One way to do this is to reimagine how the system can be improved through digital technologies.
The Ministry for the Environment (MfE) is building a case for digital transformation that advances a better integrated and more user-friendly RM system. The case will document issues with the current system and identify options as the new system is implemented. Key considerations include the roles and responsibilities of system partners and how MfE can more effectively support the system.
Two members of the Ministry’s RM Reform team - Dan Harvey and Cathy Harlowe - are currently participating in the New Zealand GovTech Innovation Accelerator, a world-leading programme of government innovation hosted by CreativeHQ. They are designing high-level concepts for different digital modules which might support the implementation for the new resource management system.
The GovTech Accelerator is a 12-week programme which follows a design thinking approach. Participants are required to bring stakeholders together to define systems challenges and then develop, test and refine solutions through an iterative series of design sprints between now and early-November.
If you would like to find out more about the work, or have ideas as to how the system can be improved through digital technologies, contact the Digital Transformation Team at RMReform@mfe.govt.nz.
We expect an exposure draft of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (NPSIB) and initial implementation plan to be released in the coming months for targeted consultation. The intent of releasing an exposure draft is to test the workability of the policies before the National Policy Statement is finalised.
Aotearoa New Zealand has many unique native plants, birds, animals, and supporting ecosystems. Many of these are threatened or at risk of extinction. Public feedback on this has been incorporated into the NPSIB exposure draft following public consultation in 2019/20. The proposed NPSIB would clarify existing obligations under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) to protect them.
About 60 per cent of councils have already mapped their significant natural areas.
We are currently reviewing the housing capacity assessments completed by tier 1 and tier 2 councils and engaging with various councils on those.
The housing capacity assessments will provide robust evidence to help councils in their planning for well-functioning urban environments, housing, land use and infrastructure and are required by the National Policy Statement on Urban Development.
The purpose of evaluating the housing capacity assessments is to increase knowledge skill and expertise across both local and central government about the different approaches that are used in this highly technical area.
For more information or to ask a question please email npsurbandevelopment@mfe.govt.nz.
Find out more about the reform of the resource management system on our website.
Here are some quick explainer videos to give you an overview of the new system and proposed legislation:
For more information, or if you have any questions, please contact RM.Reform@mfe.govt.nz.