Latest news with #NationalPolicyStatement
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
ERANZ Welcomes Government Move To Update NPS On Renewable Energy
Press Release – ERANZ A more directive National Policy Statement on renewable energy should, together with greater certainty on industry regulations, boost the impetus to build the generation we need. The Electricity Retailers' Association of New Zealand (ERANZ) welcomes the government's announced plans to update its National Policy Statement on renewable electricity as part of a suite of proposed updates to the Resource Management Act. ERANZ agrees with Minister for Infrastructure Chris Bishop that: 'Decision-makers need clear guidance that renewable energy is vital to our prosperity. We need billions of dollars of investment in the coming years in renewable energy supply but it's too hard to consent renewable energy projects.' ERANZ Chief Executive Bridget Abernethy says, 'Our members are committed to investing the billions of dollars needed to scale up electricity supply to meet current and future demand but are still facing barriers to consenting. Even when consents are granted the process is lengthy and expensive hampering the effort to deliver the electricity we need.' 'Our members are doing the heavy lifting, expecting to invest more than six billion in renewable energy projects over the next five years.' But Abernethy says that is all dependent on timely and successful resource consent approvals. 'We very much welcome the Minister's view that, 'Decision makers need clear guidance that renewable energy is vital to our prosperity.' 'ERANZ also agrees the electricity sector is facing volatility as it transitions away from fossil fuels and faces supplies of gas running out far faster than predicted. A more directive National Policy Statement on renewable energy should, together with greater certainty on industry regulations, boost the impetus to build the generation we need.' She says removing impediments to building for an electrified prosperous future for New Zealand shows laudable pragmatism and ERANZ looks forward to making a submission on this plan.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
ERANZ Welcomes Government Move To Update NPS On Renewable Energy
The Electricity Retailers' Association of New Zealand (ERANZ) welcomes the government's announced plans to update its National Policy Statement on renewable electricity as part of a suite of proposed updates to the Resource Management Act. ERANZ agrees with Minister for Infrastructure Chris Bishop that: 'Decision-makers need clear guidance that renewable energy is vital to our prosperity. We need billions of dollars of investment in the coming years in renewable energy supply but it's too hard to consent renewable energy projects.' ERANZ Chief Executive Bridget Abernethy says, 'Our members are committed to investing the billions of dollars needed to scale up electricity supply to meet current and future demand but are still facing barriers to consenting. Even when consents are granted the process is lengthy and expensive hampering the effort to deliver the electricity we need.' 'Our members are doing the heavy lifting, expecting to invest more than six billion in renewable energy projects over the next five years.' But Abernethy says that is all dependent on timely and successful resource consent approvals. 'We very much welcome the Minister's view that, 'Decision makers need clear guidance that renewable energy is vital to our prosperity.' 'ERANZ also agrees the electricity sector is facing volatility as it transitions away from fossil fuels and faces supplies of gas running out far faster than predicted. A more directive National Policy Statement on renewable energy should, together with greater certainty on industry regulations, boost the impetus to build the generation we need.' She says removing impediments to building for an electrified prosperous future for New Zealand shows laudable pragmatism and ERANZ looks forward to making a submission on this plan.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
‘Proposal To Allow Commercial Vegetable Growing Without Consent Means The Industry Has A Future'
Press Release – Vegetables New Zealand 'This proposal is a major step forward for New Zealands food security and the health of kiwis,' says Vegetables NZ Chair, John Murphy. Vegetables NZ is applauding the Government for supporting industry standards that protect the environment by proposing to allow commercial vegetable growers to grow food without having to strive for unworkable resource consents. 'This proposal is a major step forward for New Zealand's food security and the health of kiwis,' says Vegetables NZ Chair, John Murphy. 'Without it, the heart of New Zealand's vegetable growing community was under threat. 'Taking a national approach to vegetable production and ensuring vegetable growing is a permitted activity is essential for vegetable growing to be viable and for us to feed New Zealand. 'It is great that this Government has listened and is taking steps to ensure kiwis have access to fresh, healthy food like vegetables, now and in the future. The country will be better off in terms of health as well as economic outcomes. 'Today's announcement gives the commercial vegetable industry the hope it sorely needs.' John says Vegetables NZ supports the Government's move to explore a more targeted approach to Highly Productive Land. 'Highly Productive Land is a synergy of soil quality, flat contour, amenable climate, access to water, proximity to markets, workforce availability, and practical attainable consent to farm. Losing any of these factors critically inhibits the land's productivity. 'The current National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land protects first class soils. However, in practice – where parcels of land connect to urban areas – the land can become unproductive, due to poor planning and cross boundary effects. 'We want to see the Government protecting food supply by taking an integrated approach that safeguards the factors that go to ensure the land is highly productive. However, if a factor or combination of factors means the land is not highly productive, the owner's property rights must be protected.'
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
'Proposal To Allow Commercial Vegetable Growing Without Consent Means The Industry Has A Future'
Vegetables NZ is applauding the Government for supporting industry standards that protect the environment by proposing to allow commercial vegetable growers to grow food without having to strive for unworkable resource consents. "This proposal is a major step forward for New Zealand's food security and the health of kiwis," says Vegetables NZ Chair, John Murphy. "Without it, the heart of New Zealand's vegetable growing community was under threat. "Taking a national approach to vegetable production and ensuring vegetable growing is a permitted activity is essential for vegetable growing to be viable and for us to feed New Zealand. "It is great that this Government has listened and is taking steps to ensure kiwis have access to fresh, healthy food like vegetables, now and in the future. The country will be better off in terms of health as well as economic outcomes. "Today's announcement gives the commercial vegetable industry the hope it sorely needs." John says Vegetables NZ supports the Government's move to explore a more targeted approach to Highly Productive Land. "Highly Productive Land is a synergy of soil quality, flat contour, amenable climate, access to water, proximity to markets, workforce availability, and practical attainable consent to farm. Losing any of these factors critically inhibits the land's productivity. "The current National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land protects first class soils. However, in practice – where parcels of land connect to urban areas – the land can become unproductive, due to poor planning and cross boundary effects. "We want to see the Government protecting food supply by taking an integrated approach that safeguards the factors that go to ensure the land is highly productive. However, if a factor or combination of factors means the land is not highly productive, the owner's property rights must be protected."
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
The New Zealand Initiative Supports Resource Management Reform Package As Important Interim Step
The Government's announcement of sweeping reforms to national direction under the Resource Management Act represents an important interim step toward fixing New Zealand's broken planning system. The reforms include proposed amendments to a suite of existing national direction instruments and several new instruments across three key areas: infrastructure and development, primary sector regulation, and freshwater management. "We applaud Ministers for stripping out unnecessary consenting hurdles and bringing forward an NPS on infrastructure to speed up investment and housing supply," says Dr Oliver Hartwich, Executive Director of The New Zealand Initiative. "But without similarly bold action to lower barriers in the grocery sector, New Zealanders risk missing out on the opportunity to open up the retail grocery sector to competition." The reforms tackle multiple fronts simultaneously – from enabling granny flats and papakāinga housing to removing barriers for primary sector development and streamlining infrastructure projects. New national policy statements for infrastructure and renewable energy generation signal that the Government recognises infrastructure as vital to prosperity. "We particularly welcome the focus on removing unnecessary consent requirements that have added cost and delay without meaningful environmental benefit," Dr Hartwich said. The Government's commitment to removing certain types of land from the National Policy Statement on Highly Productive Land reflects common-sense priorities. "These changes represent a philosophical shift from discretionary control to enabling development," Dr Hartwich said. "The new National Policy Statement for Infrastructure sends a clear message that infrastructure is critical to our prosperity, not an inconvenience to be managed." However, The New Zealand Initiative believes the Government can do more. The organisation's recently released proposal on Fast-Track Supermarket Entry and Expansion would perfectly align with the suite of reforms the Government has put forward. "By integrating our Fast-Track Supermarket Entry and Expansion framework into this package, Ministers would remove planning, consenting and investment barriers all at once," the Initiative's Chief Economist Dr Eric Crampton added. "That single, coordinated pathway would finally allow well-capitalised new entrants to open a network of supermarkets well in advance of the final phase of resource management reforms being implemented." The proposal would enable the market to discover what is possible in grocery retail by removing regulatory bottlenecks that have historically protected incumbents from new competition. "Nothing we do now under the existing RMA framework will ever be truly sufficient, given the fundamental structural problems with the current regime," Dr Hartwich said. "But the Government is making meaningful progress while we wait for Phase Three's complete overhaul – and our supermarket framework shows how they could go further." The organisation noted that the reforms align with evidence-based approaches to urban development and economic growth, including enabling mixed-use development and reducing barriers to productive land use. "These reforms demonstrate that good policy can advance environmental outcomes and economic development simultaneously," Dr Hartwich said. "The question was never environment versus economy – it was about creating systems that work for New Zealand families and businesses."
