Minister of Housing, Infrastructure, and RMA Reform Chris Bishop spoke to the planning profession at NZPI conference this morning, outlining the government’s direction on reforming the RMA. The Minister will release a cabinet paper soon, which lays out their roadmap for reform. He told the audience that planners are a stakeholder in the reform process and have an important role to play.
Minister Bishop began with two propositions. The first being that “it has become too hard and too expensive to get things done in New Zealand”, and the second being “we need to go as hard as we can to lift our economic growth rate”.
The Minister identified two broad objectives for the government’s reform work programme. He said that the current system had failed both development and the environment, contending that growth doesn’t need to be seen as a dirty word. He outlined the next steps for reform, including unlocking the capacity for growth, particularly for housing and renewable energy. Doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is a big aspiration for this government. The second objective is “to safeguard the environment and human health, adapt to the effects of climate change, improve regulatory quality in the resource management system, and uphold Treaty of Waitangi settlements and other related arrangements”.
The Minister has formed a Ministerial Group comprising of 7 Ministers. This will be known as the Resource Management Ministerial Group.
Phase two of the reform process follows the repeal of the Spatial Planning and Natural and Built Environment Acts. The Fast Track Approvals Bill is now before the Select Committee and the Minister is hoping to release a Bill in May, which will focus on amendments to the RMA to provide national direction in several areas. The Minister hopes to see the release of a more substantive amendments Bill in late 2024.
Phase three will be to permanently replace the RMA by late 2025, an ambitious goal for which the Minister makes no apology.
Minister Bishop concluded by telling a full conference plenary; “I want your input into this process. You are the experts and there will be plenty of opportunities to contribute. I look forward to your feedback and to discussing your ideas and mine.”
