Thursday, 20 May 2021, 2:14 pm
Budget 2021 provides significant funding for the
implementation of the comprehensive reform of the resource
management system that will enhance housing supply and
economic development while protecting the
environment.
Environment Minister David Parker said
the reform is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to
establish a resource management system that is fit for
purpose.
“We are putting in place a system that
protects and provides for the wellbeing of future
generations. This comes at a crucial time for our economy as
we recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,”
David Parker said.
“The success of the new system
and its ability to hit the ground running depends not just
Funding for implementation of RMS reform
Environment Minister David Parker said the reform is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to establish a resource management system that is fit for purpose.Devdiscourse News Desk | Wellington | Updated: 20-05-2021 09:54 IST | Created: 20-05-2021 09:54 IST
David Parker said there was broad consensus that the RMA had not adequately protected the environment or enabled development where needed. Image Credit: Wikimedia
Budget 2021 provides significant funding for the implementation of the comprehensive reform of the resource management system that will enhance housing supply and economic development while protecting the environment.
Environment Minister David Parker said the reform is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to establish a resource management system that is fit for purpose.
That means we don t have clarity over the responsibilities when it comes to these sorts of decisions. It s not very easy for us to know exactly how things would turn out in court - there s a limit to how much council can justify a policy and then prescribe it, he explained. We can only do what s allowed within the law - and so without having that legislative framework, we can t have a really clear policy on it because it might not be legal. We have to be very careful that we do things that are defensible.
Dr Lawrence says the implications of sea level rises are far bigger than any local government can deal with by themselves. She s among the chorus of experts calling for a national plan to address it.
“When you look at the shovel-ready projects, almost none of them have started, even though they were awarded conditional on being design-ready and ready to start within either six months or 12 months,” Bollard said. “That pushes us to another big issue which is our consenting process is complex, slow, legalistic, expensive, and we have huge room for people to be able to object to plans even when they are not actually closely impacted by them.”
MARK TAYLOR/STUFF
Dr Alan Bollard, chairman of the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, speaks at the 2021 New Zealand Economics Forum at Waikato University. About 20 per cent of project budgets relate to consenting costs, and “in some cases a lot more”, Bollard said.