NZPI Submission on NPS Discussion Papers

18 August 2017

The RLAA 2017 introduced a new type of national direction in the form of national planning standards (NPSs) which seek to improve the consistency of resource management plans and policy statements.

The Minister for the Environment has two years to produce the first set of standards which must cover, at the minimum:

• A standard structure and form for policy statements and plans, including how plans reference national directions including national policy statements, national environmental standards and regulations;
• Standardized definitions; and
• The requirements for functionality and accessibility of plans & policy statements

During this initial NPSs preparation phase, the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) is consulting in several ways including seeking feedback on options contained in nine discussion papers. NZPI with Resource Management Law Association (RMLA) worked with MfE arranging a “roadshow” of meetings up and down the country to which members of both organisations have been invited to provide feedback direct to MfE officials. NZPI is aware that considerable concern has been expressed at those roadshow meetings by experienced resource management planners and lawyers.

NZPI has examined advice prepared by officials for Auckland Council and Wellington City Council, responses to an MfE survey of attendees of the above-mentioned “roadshow” about NPSs and the quality of planning, and is in receipt of correspondence from concerned members who have asked NZPI to prepare submissions for the planning profession as a whole …

Click here to view submission