Latest news with #Fast-track
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Enabling More Housing: National Direction On Granny Flats And Papakāinga
Press Release – New Zealand Government The RMA is broken, and its a big part of the reason for many of New Zealands biggest problems with infrastructure, housing and energy, Mr Bishop says. The Government is taking action to address the country's housing crisis through the biggest package of proposed changes to national direction in New Zealand's history, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka say. National direction refers to rules and policies sitting under the Resource Management Act (RMA) that inform how councils develop and implement local plans and rules. The Government is today releasing three discussion documents proposing amendments to 12 different instruments and the introduction of four new instruments, centred on three packages: infrastructure and development, the primary sector and freshwater. 'The RMA is broken, and it's a big part of the reason for many of New Zealand's biggest problems with infrastructure, housing and energy,' Mr Bishop says. 'Addressing this is critical to boosting economic growth, improving living standards and meeting future challenges posed by natural hazards and climate change. 'We've already repealed Labour's botched RMA reforms and are making a series of quick and targeted amendments to unlock land for housing, build infrastructure, and allow communities to share the benefits of growth. We've also passed the Fast-track Approvals Act to make it much easier to deliver projects with regional or nationally significant benefits – and the first projects including Delmore (1,250 residential dwellings in Auckland) are already going through the Fast-track process. 'Next year we'll replace the RMA with new legislation premised on property rights. Our new system will provide a framework that makes it easier to plan and deliver infrastructure and energy projects, as well as protecting the environment. 'In the meantime we're making targeted, quick changes through our second RMA amendment Bill which is expected back from the Environment Committee next month, and changes to national direction. 'Addressing housing affordability and supply is a key focus for the Government. We want to make it easier for families to build a granny flat of up to 70 square metres on an existing property through proposed new National Environmental Standards for Granny Flats. This NES will require all councils to permit a granny flat on sites in rural, residential, mixed use, and Māori purpose zones without the need to gain a resource consent subject to certain conditions. It will sit alongside our parallel work to amend the Building Act to remove the need for a building consent for those same granny flats.' 'Existing resource management rules are a barrier for Māori to build papakāinga housing on ancestral land. Our proposed new National Environmental Standard for Papakāinga would allow papakāinga on some rural land, residential zones, and Māori purpose zones, subject to certain conditions. It would enable Māori to develop papakāinga housing more efficiently and quickly,' Mr Potaka says. 'We are committed to providing better housing options for whānau, and one of the ways we will achieve this is by making it easier for Māori landowners to unlock opportunities for their whenua. 'Currently, inconsistent rules for building papakāinga in council district and unitary plans across the country are preventing Māori landowners from using their land to house their whānau, exercise autonomy over their whenua, and build wealth. 'We're proposing to introduce a consistent national framework – called National Environmental Standards – that will reduce consenting inconsistencies, remove planning barriers, and make consenting less costly and complex. 'If accepted, consenting standards would become uniform across the country, regardless of which district plan the land falls under, and small-scale – up to 10 homes – papakāinga would no longer require resource consent. 'These changes, developed in consultation with papakāinga and Māori planning experts, will reduce bureaucracy and make it easier for Māori landowners to develop papakāinga so more whānau are able to live in warm, dry, healthy, affordable housing. 'Papakāinga provide multiple benefits to whānau, hapū and Iwi. As well as economic, social, and wellbeing benefits, papakāinga provide holistic and cultural benefits because our connection to the whenua is such a key part of being Māori. 'This proposal would also complement our granny flats policy. Together the two proposals provide options for Māori to build on their existing assets. While the papakāinga development provides more scope for multiple homes on communally owned Māori land, the granny flats policy provides an option for homeowners to build one additional dwelling on their residential property without consent building or resource consent.' Consultation on these proposals will remain open until 27 July 2025. The Government intends to have 16 new or updated national direction instruments in place by the end of this year. Notes: Infrastructure and development is one of three national direction packages released today as part of the Government's wider reform of the resource management system. The other two packages cover changes for the primary sector and freshwater management.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Enabling More Housing: National Direction On Granny Flats And Papakāinga
Press Release – New Zealand Government The Government is taking action to address the country's housing crisis through the biggest package of proposed changes to national direction in New Zealand's history, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka say. National direction refers to rules and policies sitting under the Resource Management Act (RMA) that inform how councils develop and implement local plans and rules. The Government is today releasing three discussion documents proposing amendments to 12 different instruments and the introduction of four new instruments, centred on three packages: infrastructure and development, the primary sector and freshwater. 'The RMA is broken, and it's a big part of the reason for many of New Zealand's biggest problems with infrastructure, housing and energy,' Mr Bishop says. 'Addressing this is critical to boosting economic growth, improving living standards and meeting future challenges posed by natural hazards and climate change. 'We've already repealed Labour's botched RMA reforms and are making a series of quick and targeted amendments to unlock land for housing, build infrastructure, and allow communities to share the benefits of growth. We've also passed the Fast-track Approvals Act to make it much easier to deliver projects with regional or nationally significant benefits – and the first projects including Delmore (1,250 residential dwellings in Auckland) are already going through the Fast-track process. 'Next year we'll replace the RMA with new legislation premised on property rights. Our new system will provide a framework that makes it easier to plan and deliver infrastructure and energy projects, as well as protecting the environment. 'In the meantime we're making targeted, quick changes through our second RMA amendment Bill which is expected back from the Environment Committee next month, and changes to national direction. 'Addressing housing affordability and supply is a key focus for the Government. We want to make it easier for families to build a granny flat of up to 70 square metres on an existing property through proposed new National Environmental Standards for Granny Flats. This NES will require all councils to permit a granny flat on sites in rural, residential, mixed use, and Māori purpose zones without the need to gain a resource consent subject to certain conditions. It will sit alongside our parallel work to amend the Building Act to remove the need for a building consent for those same granny flats.' 'Existing resource management rules are a barrier for Māori to build papakāinga housing on ancestral land. Our proposed new National Environmental Standard for Papakāinga would allow papakāinga on some rural land, residential zones, and Māori purpose zones, subject to certain conditions. It would enable Māori to develop papakāinga housing more efficiently and quickly,' Mr Potaka says. 'We are committed to providing better housing options for whānau, and one of the ways we will achieve this is by making it easier for Māori landowners to unlock opportunities for their whenua. 'Currently, inconsistent rules for building papakāinga in council district and unitary plans across the country are preventing Māori landowners from using their land to house their whānau, exercise autonomy over their whenua, and build wealth. 'We're proposing to introduce a consistent national framework – called National Environmental Standards – that will reduce consenting inconsistencies, remove planning barriers, and make consenting less costly and complex. 'If accepted, consenting standards would become uniform across the country, regardless of which district plan the land falls under, and small-scale – up to 10 homes – papakāinga would no longer require resource consent. 'These changes, developed in consultation with papakāinga and Māori planning experts, will reduce bureaucracy and make it easier for Māori landowners to develop papakāinga so more whānau are able to live in warm, dry, healthy, affordable housing. 'Papakāinga provide multiple benefits to whānau, hapū and Iwi. As well as economic, social, and wellbeing benefits, papakāinga provide holistic and cultural benefits because our connection to the whenua is such a key part of being Māori. 'This proposal would also complement our granny flats policy. Together the two proposals provide options for Māori to build on their existing assets. While the papakāinga development provides more scope for multiple homes on communally owned Māori land, the granny flats policy provides an option for homeowners to build one additional dwelling on their residential property without consent building or resource consent.' Consultation on these proposals will remain open until 27 July 2025. The Government intends to have 16 new or updated national direction instruments in place by the end of this year. Notes: Infrastructure and development is one of three national direction packages released today as part of the Government's wider reform of the resource management system. The other two packages cover changes for the primary sector and freshwater management.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Making It Easier To Consent Quarries And Mines
Minister for RMA Reform Hon Shane Jones Minister for Regional Development The Government has opened public consultation on the biggest change to national direction in New Zealand history, with proposals to make it easier to consent quarries and mines to enable more infrastructure development. National direction refers to rules and policies sitting under the Resource Management Act (RMA) that inform how councils develop and implement local plans and rules. The Government is today releasing three discussion documents proposing amendments to 12 different instruments and the introduction of four new instruments, centred on three packages: infrastructure and development, the primary sector and freshwater. 'New Zealand has a massive infrastructure deficit, but to build and maintain more infrastructure we need quarries and mines. The RMA makes it far too difficult for these types of projects to get consent,' Mr Bishop says. 'Addressing this is critical to boosting economic growth, improving living standards and meeting future challenges posed by natural hazards and climate change. 'We've already repealed Labour's botched RMA reforms and made a series of quick and targeted amendments to remove unnecessary regulations for primary industries as well as barriers to investment in development and infrastructure. We've also passed the Fast-track Approvals Act to make it much easier to deliver projects with regional or nationally significant benefits – and the first projects are already going through the Fast-track process. 'Next year we'll replace the RMA with new legislation premised on property rights. Our new system will provide a framework that makes it easier to plan and deliver infrastructure, quarrying and mining projects, as well as protecting the environment. 'In the meantime we're making targeted, quick changes through our second RMA amendment Bill which is expected back from the Environment Committee next month, and to national direction.' The proposed changes include amendments to quarrying and mining provisions in four existing national direction instruments: National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity 2023 National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land 2022 National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 National Environmental Standards for Freshwater 2020. 'The Coalition Government is committed to utilising New Zealand's mineral reserves to boost regional opportunities and jobs, increase our self-sufficiency, improve energy security and resilience, and drive our export-led focus for economic recovery. The length of time it takes to navigate various consenting processes for a major mining project in New Zealand is costing us dearly in missed economic opportunities that could lift living standards for our regional communities and supercharge productivity,' Mr Jones says. 'A mining operator currently needs to navigate the often contradictory and confusing requirements of many national direction instruments. By amending these instruments to remove duplication and provide more clarity, we are reducing costs and inefficiencies and providing the certainty potential investors and operators need to take well-designed projects forward – something our regulatory regime has long lacked. I want to be clear - we are cutting red tape and barriers, not corners. There are no shortcuts in terms of robust planning and rigorous consideration of environmental protections.' Consultation on these proposals will remain open until 27 July 2025. The Government intends to have 16 new or updated national direction instruments in place by the end of this year. Notes: Quarrying and mining amendments to National Policy Statements and National Environmental Standards The Government has committed to unlocking development capacity for housing and business growth, and to boost mineral exports. To support this, locally sourced aggregate and minerals are needed. This targeted amendment for quarrying and mining, aims to make the consent pathways and gateway tests for quarrying and mining affecting wetlands, significant natural areas (SNAs) and highly productive land (HPL) more enabling, and to ensure the policies are more consistent across the: National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (NPSIB) 2023 National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land (NPS-HPL) 2022 National Environmental Standard for Freshwater (NES-F) 2020 National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM) 2020. Key proposals to change these instruments are: To amend wetland quarrying and mining provisions across NPS-FM, NES-F, NPSIB and NPS-HPL to make them more enabling and more consistent, which involves: adding 'operational need' to the gateway tests for mining and quarrying activities that may adversely affect wetlands under the NES-F and NPS-FM changing a few words in the NPSIB and NPS-HPL SNA and HPL mining and quarrying exceptions for SNAs and HPL to: clarify that essential related (ancillary) activities for mining and quarrying have a consent pathway and use consistent terminology remove 'that could not otherwise be achieved using resources within New Zealand' and the requirement for benefits to be 'public' and allow regional benefits of mining to be considered.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Enabling More Housing: National Direction On Granny Flats And Papakāinga
Hon Chris Bishop Minister for RMA Reform Associate Minister of Housing The Government is taking action to address the country's housing crisis through the biggest package of proposed changes to national direction in New Zealand's history, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka say. National direction refers to rules and policies sitting under the Resource Management Act (RMA) that inform how councils develop and implement local plans and rules. The Government is today releasing three discussion documents proposing amendments to 12 different instruments and the introduction of four new instruments, centred on three packages: infrastructure and development, the primary sector and freshwater. 'The RMA is broken, and it's a big part of the reason for many of New Zealand's biggest problems with infrastructure, housing and energy,' Mr Bishop says. 'Addressing this is critical to boosting economic growth, improving living standards and meeting future challenges posed by natural hazards and climate change. 'We've already repealed Labour's botched RMA reforms and are making a series of quick and targeted amendments to unlock land for housing, build infrastructure, and allow communities to share the benefits of growth. We've also passed the Fast-track Approvals Act to make it much easier to deliver projects with regional or nationally significant benefits – and the first projects including Delmore (1,250 residential dwellings in Auckland) are already going through the Fast-track process. 'Next year we'll replace the RMA with new legislation premised on property rights. Our new system will provide a framework that makes it easier to plan and deliver infrastructure and energy projects, as well as protecting the environment. 'In the meantime we're making targeted, quick changes through our second RMA amendment Bill which is expected back from the Environment Committee next month, and changes to national direction. 'Addressing housing affordability and supply is a key focus for the Government. We want to make it easier for families to build a granny flat of up to 70 square metres on an existing property through proposed new National Environmental Standards for Granny Flats. This NES will require all councils to permit a granny flat on sites in rural, residential, mixed use, and Māori purpose zones without the need to gain a resource consent subject to certain conditions. It will sit alongside our parallel work to amend the Building Act to remove the need for a building consent for those same granny flats.' 'Existing resource management rules are a barrier for Māori to build papakāinga housing on ancestral land. Our proposed new National Environmental Standard for Papakāinga would allow papakāinga on some rural land, residential zones, and Māori purpose zones, subject to certain conditions. It would enable Māori to develop papakāinga housing more efficiently and quickly,' Mr Potaka says. 'We are committed to providing better housing options for whānau, and one of the ways we will achieve this is by making it easier for Māori landowners to unlock opportunities for their whenua. 'Currently, inconsistent rules for building papakāinga in council district and unitary plans across the country are preventing Māori landowners from using their land to house their whānau, exercise autonomy over their whenua, and build wealth. 'We're proposing to introduce a consistent national framework - called National Environmental Standards - that will reduce consenting inconsistencies, remove planning barriers, and make consenting less costly and complex. 'If accepted, consenting standards would become uniform across the country, regardless of which district plan the land falls under, and small-scale - up to 10 homes - papakāinga would no longer require resource consent. 'These changes, developed in consultation with papakāinga and Māori planning experts, will reduce bureaucracy and make it easier for Māori landowners to develop papakāinga so more whānau are able to live in warm, dry, healthy, affordable housing. 'Papakāinga provide multiple benefits to whānau, hapū and Iwi. As well as economic, social, and wellbeing benefits, papakāinga provide holistic and cultural benefits because our connection to the whenua is such a key part of being Māori. 'This proposal would also complement our granny flats policy. Together the two proposals provide options for Māori to build on their existing assets. While the papakāinga development provides more scope for multiple homes on communally owned Māori land, the granny flats policy provides an option for homeowners to build one additional dwelling on their residential property without consent building or resource consent.' Consultation on these proposals will remain open until 27 July 2025. The Government intends to have 16 new or updated national direction instruments in place by the end of this year. Infrastructure and development is one of three national direction packages released today as part of the Government's wider reform of the resource management system. The other two packages cover changes for the primary sector and freshwater management.
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Whanganui Politician Crosses Boundaries To Stop Seabed Mine
A Whanganui councillor has brought her campaign against seabed mining to local politicians in New Plymouth, saying their silence isn't good enough. Australian company Trans-Tasman Resources wants to mine the seafloor in the shallows of South Taranaki Bight, promising a harmless operation that'll bring profits, jobs and exports. It's seeking permission for the proposed mine via the pro-development Fast-track Approvals Act. Whanganui District Councillor Charlotte Melser presented her 3000-signature Concerned Communities petition to New Plymouth District Council on Tuesday, saying many locals had signed. 'Your silence on the proposal does not go far enough for many in your community,' she told councillors on NPDC's Strategy and Operations Committee. Melser wants Taranaki and Whanganui councillors to instruct staff to research ecological, economic and cultural impacts, informing councils to speak against the Fast-track mining bid. 'What I'm angling for is a united voice… to make sure all relevant information is put in front of the decision-making panel.' For centuries coastal communities have relied on the abundant South Taranaki Bight, said Melser. 'It's truly such a thriving ecosystem down there. 'Do we really need to put it at risk to fill the coffers of an Australian mining company?' Opponents say Trans-Tasman's waste sediment would smother the extensive reefs of the Pātea Banks, stunting food-chain photosynthesis by cutting sunlight. They fear underwater industrial noise would disrupt rare Maui dolphins and pygmy blue whales. Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR) has consents to vacuum-up 50 million tonnes of seabed sediment every year for 35 years, extracting iron, vanadium and titanium for export. But despite a decade in the courts TTR still hasn't won permission to discharge 45 million tonnes of unwanted sediment – a recognised pollutant – back into the ocean. The mining company says most of the daily 165,000 tonnes of waste would sink to the seabed in a 'controlled process'. It says superfine sediments drifting from the mine would be insignificant in the turbid Tasman Sea. In 2021 the Supreme Court unanimously rejected the company's case and ordered it to start again. But a year ago TTR quit the resulting environmental hearing in favour of a fast-track application. The Environmental Protection Authority will soon name an expert panel to hear submissions, then advise Government ministers. 'Once the panel is established, your council will have only 20 working days to complete your submission,' Melser advised. 'The timeframes are tight, so I ask that you make some time today, or as soon as is practicality possible, to come to a position on this amongst yourselves so you can direct your policy team to get on with the work.' Her last-ditch appeal left committee members unable to act: one of them must instead take a notice-of-motion to the next council meeting. Trans-Tasman's executive chairman Alan Eggers was pleased the application is progressing along the fast-track. 'We have proposed a set of operating conditions and management plans to generate much-needed growth, create high-paying jobs and minimise any environmental impacts in the South Taranaki Bight.' Opponents filled the council's public gallery at Tuesday afternoon's meeting, including a couple of dozen from Protect Our Moana Taranaki. Co-founder Tihikura Hohaia hoped councillors understood the range of people against the mine. 'It's so widespread: surfers, fishers, boaties, yeah – and also dairy farmers.' 'We had a farmer bring a butchered sheep to [a protest last month]. They don't want to go public but no one wants this.' Last December Whanganui District Council unanimously opposed TTR's project. Two years ago South Taranaki District Council told Parliament economic benefits wouldn't outweigh 'environmental vandalism' off the Pātea coast and it should outlaw seabed mining. Trans-Tasman's owners Manuka Resources told the Australian Stock Exchange they predict annual earnings of US$312 million, giving shareholders a near 40 percent rate of return on investment.
