Latest news with #ToddMcClay
1News
2 days ago
- Politics
- 1News
Sweeping RMA changes for housing, freshwater, infrastructure rules proposed
Sweeping changes to the rules governing councils' oversight of everything from housing — to mining — to agriculture — under the Resource Management Act are being released to the public for feedback. The government has released discussion documents covering 12 national policy statements and similar instruments, with the aim of having 16 new or updated ones by the end of the year — ahead of legislation replacing the RMA next year. The consultation covers three main topics: infrastructure and development, the primary sector and freshwater. It is open from May 29 to July 27. The topics cover a wide range of portfolios, the early afternoon announcement fronted by RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, Energy Minister Simon Watts, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard, and Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. (Source: ADVERTISEMENT "The changes we're now proposing to national direction under the existing RMA give effect to a range of coalition commitments, can be done quickly and relatively easily, and will help unclog the growth arteries of the economy," Bishop said. "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 a protecting the environment." Freshwater The changes would "rebalance Te Mana o te Wai to better reflect the interests of all water users", with councils able to "tailor" monitoring and management to local conditions. Councils would be directed to consider how they could help ensure stable domestic food supply, including providing for crop rotation in regional plans. Crop rotation within catchments could be allowed without a consent. Water storage rules would change aiming to ensure water flows during dry periods, protect against climate-change-caused drought, and reduce the need for extraction from natural rivers and lakes. Wetland regulations would change aiming to protect water filtration, flood control, and habitat for diverse species. ADVERTISEMENT The definition of "wetland" would be amended, now excluding unintentionally created "induced" wetlands, and allowing farming activities like irrigation, on-farm water storage and fencing considered "unlikely" to have an adverse effect, while constructed wetlands would have a new objective, standards, and consent pathway. Councils would no longer need to map wetlands by 2030, but Source Water Risk Management areas would now need to be mapped "to help safeguard drinking water sources from contamination". The government is also proposing to "simplify" requirements for fish passages to reduce the administrative burden "while still providing appropriate protection". Changes to rules for synthetic fertiliser are also proposed. Agriculture Minister Todd McClay. (Source: Primary sector Highly productive land changes would extend the timeframes to 2027/28, see the removal of the "Land Use Capability 3" category and trial the use of "special agricultural areas". ADVERTISEMENT Grazed beef cattle and deer in low intensity farms would no longer need to be kept out of wetlands. In forestry, councils would lose the ability to set harder controls, slash would need to be planned for and — above a certain size — removed, and low-intensity harvesting will be permitted by default if "any relevant forest planning requirement is complied with". Restrictions on mines and quarries in wetlands would be loosened. Aquaculture changes aim to streamline consenting for activities and research, and allow small structures in coastal marine areas with no consent. Infrastructure and development Granny flats of up to 70sqm, and papakāinga of up to 10 homes would be allowed without a consent on specific land zones. Papakāinga would also allow commercial activities of up to 100sqm, conservation activity, accommodation for up to eight guests, along with education, health, sports, marae, urupā and māra kai facilities. Medium papakāinga of up to 30 homes would be considered a "restricted discretionary" activity, with those of more than 30 units becoming "discretionary" activities. ADVERTISEMENT Energy changes include new policies on supporting the needs of the electricity network and management of environmental interests, and another new policy on recognising and providing for Māori interests in electricity transmission, and other changes. These would allow more routine work on electricity networks, establish a National Grid Yard and Subdivision Corridor, and scrap consenting for distribution and EV charging infrastructure. A new policy for natural hazards — covering flooding, landslips, coastal erosion, coastal inundation, active faults, liquefaction and tsunami — would cover all environments and zones including coastal environments, directing councils to take a risk-based approach and assess risk based on "likelihood and consequence". A definition of "significant risk" using a risk matrix would be provided, with councils directed to also use the best available information when making decisions. In telecommunications, new poles would be allowed by default in more areas, with restrictions in the road reserve also removed. Renewable energy generation, temporary facilities and connection lines to heritage buildings for telecommunications would no longer need consenting.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
McClay To Champion NZ's Trade Interests At OECD And In Brussels
Press Release – New Zealand Government Minister for Trade and Investment Todd McClay will travel to Europe to advance New Zealands trade interests. McClay will attend meetings in Switzerland, Paris, and Brussels with various trade ministers and commissioners. Minister for Trade and Investment Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Europe this weekend to advance New Zealand's trade and investment interests Minister McClay will visit Switzerland, Paris and Brussels for high level ministerial and business meetings. In Switzerland he will attend the first in person meeting of a new pro-trade group with ministers from UAE, Singapore and Switzerland where he will focus on removing trade barriers and the promotion of paperless trade. In Paris he will attend the annual OECD Trade Ministers, a CPTPP ministers discussion, ACCTs Ministers meeting, and a WTO Mini Ministerial meeting. He will also hold discussions with ministers from Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, USA. He will also undertake a bilateral French programme and meet the French Minister responsible for Trade. In Brussels Mr McClay will hold talks with EU Commissioner for Trade, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, and EU Vice President responsible for sustainability. He will also speak at an event to mark the first year of the NZ EU FTA. 'One in four Kiwi jobs depend on Trade, and strong trade relationships mean more opportunities for New Zealander. The Government's is committed to the ambitious goal of doubling exports by value in the next ten years to deliver higher paying jobs for all New Zealanders,' Mr McClay says.
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
McClay To Champion NZ's Trade Interests At OECD And In Brussels
Minister for Trade and Investment Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Europe this weekend to advance New Zealand's trade and investment interests Minister McClay will visit Switzerland, Paris and Brussels for high level ministerial and business meetings. In Switzerland he will attend the first in person meeting of a new pro-trade group with ministers from UAE, Singapore and Switzerland where he will focus on removing trade barriers and the promotion of paperless trade. In Paris he will attend the annual OECD Trade Ministers, a CPTPP ministers discussion, ACCTs Ministers meeting, and a WTO Mini Ministerial meeting. He will also hold discussions with ministers from Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, USA. He will also undertake a bilateral French programme and meet the French Minister responsible for Trade. In Brussels Mr McClay will hold talks with EU Commissioner for Trade, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, and EU Vice President responsible for sustainability. He will also speak at an event to mark the first year of the NZ EU FTA. 'One in four Kiwi jobs depend on Trade, and strong trade relationships mean more opportunities for New Zealander. The Government's is committed to the ambitious goal of doubling exports by value in the next ten years to deliver higher paying jobs for all New Zealanders,' Mr McClay says.
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Farmers hail end of 'unworkable' RMA, Greens say changes dismantle protections
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says the proposed changes are complex and technical but have a big impact on the economy. Photo: VNP/Louis Collins The government's proposed Resource Management Act changes have been met with jubilation from some quarters, and dismay from others. Public consultation has opened on a suite of different national directions across infrastructure, primary sector development, and freshwater. Announcing the proposals, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop described National Policy Statements as "the meat on the bones" of the RMA. "The changes are technical and complex, but they do have a big impact on the economy," he said. The changes would all sit under the RMA as it currently stands. The government was aiming to replace the Act next year. But it was confident these changes, despite their technical and complicated nature, would be able to transition into the new system. The proposed reforms were designed to be more practical and regionally-adaptable. The government's proposed replacing the NPS for Freshwater Management entirely, and "rebalancing" Te Mana o te Wai. The government wants to replace the Resource Management Act next year. Photo: Bill McKay It is a concept that puts the mauri of the water first, but the government said a rebalance towards all water users would give councils more flexibility in how they manage freshwater, and tailor monitoring and management to local conditions. Agriculture minister Todd McClay said councils had become frustrated by "burdensome" processes they had to go through, but working together would lead to better outcomes for freshwater and for productivity. Farmers were onboard, but environmentalists were concerned it could be an open invite to pollution. Federated Farmers welcomed the proposals, saying the previous government's freshwater rules were "completely unworkable" for farmers. Vice president and freshwater spokesperson Colin Hurst said councils were unclear on how they should interpret Te Mana o Te Wai. "It's very hard to work out exactly what that meant, certainly from the wider communities around the country," he said. Hurst said Federated Farmers was still digesting the proposals, but said it was important to strike a balance between water quality and economic activity. "We're looking forward to having a system that's more enabling, but still have a framework of the rules set up, a sort of national standard that if you meet the standard you should be able to carry on farming, but still conscious we're not degrading the environment and that kind of thing." Freshwater expert Dr Mike Joy said the consenting changes felt like half a lifetime's amount of work thrown out overnight. He said freshwater was getting worse and worse, but Te Mana o Te Wai - a key part of the 2020 National Policy Statement - was about putting freshwater ahead of big business. "It's basically being thrown out along with the rest of the protections in the Resource Management Act. "Most of our lowland rivers are not swimmable or fishable anymore" he said, and "things are going to get worse". He said the changes would not be friendly to farmers, and would instead make them "pariahs" for environmental failures. Dr Mike Joy is particularly alarmed at one proposed change in the RMA. Photo: supplied Joy was particularly alarmed at a change that would remove restrictions on non-intensive wetland grazing. "If you think of it as a human analogy, it's like we've lost 90 percent of our kidneys, and then we've only got 10 percent left, and then they want to destroy them by allowing cattle grazing on it. "If you think of it from a human health perspective, we would know that it's suicidal to do that." Tasman's mayor said the proposed RMA changes would take time to digest, but it was good the detail could now be debated. Tim King said people could now take a look, determine what their view was, and provide feedback. "People just want to understand what it is they can do and the process they go through for that what they can't do. And if this brings more clarity to people, then that'd be a good thing," he said. King believed people would welcome the simplicity, given the system had become "very complex and tends to require the use of consultants". He said councils would have to work under whatever "national direction" was decided, but could be the connection between that and the local communities. "We may well be the connection between the community, whether that's farmers, other landowners, the community in general, between these suggested changes and actually implementing them on the ground. "So obviously, we're going to have a really key focus on how that part of it might work." The Green Party, meanwhile, was angry and disheartened. Its environment spokesperson Lan Pham said it was a "comprehensive dismantling" of major protections that were in place. "It feels like we've been working for decades, literally, to get some basic functional environmental protections in place, and now this government is announcing these sweeping changes, which are essentially this comprehensive dismantling of these very meagre protections that we even had in place." Green Party environment spokesperson Lan Pham. Photo: RNZ / Conan Young She said the concerning thing about the changes was they touched on "every single environmental domain". "Everything from our forests to our fresh water to our oceans. "The power of the national direction is that it can basically enable this wholesale pollution, wholesale degradation, wholesale exploitation under the guise of growth, which this government is entirely blinkered in their thinking, and it's all for a quick buck." She said the current and future generations would be the ones who "pay the price" of this "environmental degradation and exploitation". Labour's environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said the government was undoing all the work Labour did to ensure rivers were clean enough to swim in. "Labour had a goal of swimmable rivers within a generation to deal with pollution, so that your kids and grandkids wouldn't get sick just from going swimming," she said. "National seem determined to allow polluters to profit from our environment while also destroying it." Brooking did however say it was good the community would get to have a say, unlike with projects approved by fast-track legislation. Coalition partner ACT wants Te Mana o te Wai and national bottom lines scrapped entirely, leaving regional councils free to set their own standards. Rebalancing Te Mana o te Wai is a coalition commitment, but ACT leader David Seymour said consultation would be a chance for those who want to get rid of it altogether to have their say. "This is an opportunity for people who basically think Te Mana o Te Wai is nonsensical, it's vague, it really stops ironically people from building their mana, from using the land in a responsible way to grow our prosperity as a country. "We believe it's time for such a concept to be dumped." There were also proposals to amend provisions to allow for wetland quarrying and mining provisions. Essentially, in order to build and maintain infrastructure, the government wants quarries and mines but the RMA had made consenting the projects too difficult. Aggregate and Quarry association CEO Wayne Scott said the National Policy Statements for Indigenous Biodiversity and for Highly Productive Land used terms like "aggregate extraction," which were undefined, as opposed to "quarrying activities," which was the National Planning Standards definition for what they do. "The difference is that aggregate extraction is just actually extracting material out of the ground. It doesn't take any other ancillary activities that are associated with quarrying," he said. "So we've seen that resource consent applications have been unable to be lodged because the activity was more than just extracting aggregate. "So that change is going to be quite significant." He also pointed to "some superfluous words" used in the land NPS that said the exemption did not apply if it could be otherwise sourced in New Zealand. "We're not quite sure what those words meant, but the interpretation was that if you can source it elsewhere, then the development can't proceed, and that has stifled a number of core applications around the country." Scott said it was important to have aggregate sources close to the market, but said they do not "just pop quarries anywhere for the sake of it" and there would only be quarries where there was demand. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
The Spinoff
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Spinoff
What you need to know about the proposed freshwater reforms
As part of its overhaul of the Resource Management Act, the government has launched consultation on a proposal to shake up the management of freshwater in Aotearoa. Here's a quick(ish) rundown. What's all this then? Yesterday, the government released three discussion documents proposing changes to the 'national directions' of three areas: infrastructure and development, the primary sector, and freshwater. 'National direction' refers to various rules and policies that sit under the Resource Management Act (RMA) and inform how councils develop local rules and plans. Sorry but this all sounds deeply boring. I hear you, but as Bluey's mum says, boring things are still important. The RMA, which was passed in 1991, governs how we interact with the environment. For some years there's been broad agreement across much of the political spectrum that the complex web of planning rules sitting under the RMA are overly restrictive and contributing to our housing crisis and infrastructure deficit. There's been less consensus on what should replace it though: the Labour government did repeal and replace the RMA in 2023, but the new coalition government repealed that replacement and embarked on its own overhaul. Right, so this new announcement is the replacement of the replacement? Nope – that was announced in March and is coming later this year by way of two new laws that 'clearly distinguish between land-use planning and natural resource management, while putting a priority on the enjoyment of private property rights'. Yesterday was all about the aforementioned ' national directions ', which comprise national policy statements, national environmental standards, national planning standards and regulations made under section 360 of the RMA. The three discussion documents released yesterday propose reforms to 12 different 'instruments', as these sets of rules are called, as well as the introduction of four new instruments. Most of these fall under the primary sector and infrastructure and development categories, so let's start with freshwater, where, mercifully, just two instruments are involved. Phew. Tell me more. With pleasure. Two sets of rules are set to be replaced: the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 (NPS-FM) and the Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Freshwater) Regulations 2020 (NES-F). Replacing NPS-FM was promised in the National-Act coalition agreement. NPS-FM, NES-F… not exactly catchy names. Is that why they're for the scrapheap? Not as such. When it comes to freshwater, the current rules are 'too complex, too expensive, and too often ignore the practical realities of landowners', said agriculture minister Todd McClay yesterday, in a press release announcing 'practical, farmer-focused reforms' that he said would 'restore confidence and reduce red tape, while still delivering environmental gains'. Farmer-focused, you say? Yep. The current freshwater management rules, part of a 2020 reform package aimed at halting the degradation of our waterways, put controls on certain high-risk farming practices. The government thinks they've been too onerous on farmers and rural communities, and reforms are needed to 'restore balance' so that 'the interests of all water users, including farmers, growers, and rural communities, are properly reflected'. There's particular concern with Te Mana o Te Wai, the concept underpinning the NPS-FM that sets a hierarchy of obligations for authorities to prioritise in consenting: at the top is the health and wellbeing of waterways, then the health needs of people (such as drinking water), followed by 'the ability of people and communities to provide for their social, economic, and cultural well-being'. It also emphasises that tangata whenua should be involved in decision-making around freshwater management. The government was so concerned by this framework that it passed the Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Act late last year to exclude consideration of the hierarchy from resource consenting while the replacement for the NPS-FM was worked on. What was the hurry? Act has long been critical of Te Mana o te Wai, which it considers a form of its bête noire, co-governance – and one that relies on ' vague spiritual concepts ' to boot. National has been less openly scathing – it was a National government that first enshrined the concept in the NPS in 2014, after all – but just before the 2023 election the party announced its intention to 'rebalance' Te Mana o Te Wai to better reflect the interests of all water users. This is the line that made it into the National-Act coalition agreement. In the press release yesterday, associate minister for the environment Andrew Hoggard (an Act MP) said Te Mana o te Wai had 'caused frustration across rural New Zealand, with some councils applying it in a way that sidelines the very people working to improve water outcomes'. National's McClay, interestingly, was more forthright, saying, 'We won't stand by while councils weaponise Te Mana o te Wai, to push ideology over common sense.' How have councils 'weaponised' Te Mana o te Wai? The press release mentions the government's 'decisive intervention' in 2024 to stop the Otago Regional Council from passing its land and water plan that would have increased freshwater environmental protections, and, according to McClay, 'would have imposed unnecessary costs and uncertainty on rural landowners'. I see. So what changes are actually being proposed? Some new objectives are suggested, including that councils should 'safeguard the life-supporting capacity of freshwater and the health of people and communities, while enabling communities to provide for their social, cultural and economic well-being, including productive economic opportunities'. These two things would have to be considered equally, with neither considered more important than the other. Councils would also be required 'to consider the pace and cost of change, and who bears the cost'. The aim of this is to 'increase recognition that change takes time. Long timeframes for improving water quality have always been appropriate and are, in some cases, unavoidable.' As for how exactly Te Mana o te Wai should be 'rebalanced', three options are proposed. First, the hierarchy of obligations would be removed and councils would be advised that Te Mana o te Wai shouldn't be used in planning decisions, but 'process steps for councils to apply Te Mana o te Wai – for example, by actively involving tangata whenua in freshwater management' would be retained. The second option is to reintroduce Te Mana o te Wai provisions from the 2017 NPS-FM, which essentially required councils to recognise the connection between water and the broader environment and engage with the community, including tangata whenua. The third option would ditch the concept entirely, removing all mention of Te Mana o te Wai from the NPS. Anything else? Yep – more flexibility for councils around monitoring and reporting requirements and the setting of limits for stuff like nitrogen and phosphorus levels from agricultural fertiliser runoff, and stock units (eg how many cows) are allowed per hectare on a farm near a waterway. This includes the potential removal of 'bottom lines', minimum national standards for the likes of nitrate and ammonia toxicity. Also, allowing commercial vegetable growing activities (which are high risk in terms of nitrogen leaching) to go ahead without resource consent, permitting the construction of off-stream water storage such as storage ponds on farms, allowing more farming activities near wetlands and removing the requirement for councils to map natural inland wetlands within 10 years. Then there's simplifying fish passage regulations, reducing requirements for farmers to report on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use, and introducing mapping requirements for drinking water sources, to name just a few. Righto. What has the response been to these proposals? The Green Party's environment spokesperson Lan Pham, formerly a freshwater commissioner, said the proposals painted 'a damning picture of a government hellbent on profit at all costs', adding that it was 'a dark day for rivers, lakes, streams, beaches, forests and all who enjoy and rely on these taonga across Aotearoa'. Choose Clean Water spokesperson Tom Kay described the proposed reforms as 'a massive blow for the health of our water and the health of our communities', while Greenpeace said they would 'drive more dairy pollution at the expense of safe drinking water and swimmable rivers'. The Environmental Defence Society reckoned that 'the reprioritisation of freshwater objectives is likely to leave gaps, have cumulative adverse effects, allow more pollution and breach FTAs', while the rebalancing of the hierarchy of obligations of Te Mana o te Wai would 'significantly weaken protections'. Federated Farmers, meanwhile, welcomed the proposals, with the group's freshwater spokesperson Colin Hurst particularly applauding the proposed rebalancing of the 'unworkable and highly problematic' Te Mana o te Wai. 'We believe it's worth considering whether Te Mano o te Wai [sic] is a concept that should be scrapped altogether, which is one of the options now on the table,' he said in a press release. Beef + Lamb New Zealand was also supportive of the proposals, noting its concerns around the 'unachievable numeric limits' set by the current regulations, but said further analysis was required before it would come out in favour of any of the options. What happens next? Consultation runs until July 27, with the public encouraged to submit feedback on the proposals here. You can read the discussion document and the regulatory impact statements here, as well as find details for a series of webinars the Ministry for the Environment is running on the proposed changes. The government is also seeking feedback on whether to implement the reforms under the existing RMA (for 'immediate impact' or as part of the replacement legislation ('to have impact longer term'). A draft set of proposals will be released later in the year.
