Why is the resource management system changing?
The Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) is Aotearoa New Zealand’s main law governing how we use our natural and built resources. Now more than 30 years old, the RMA is not delivering for the environment or for development, and is no longer fit to help us respond to emerging issues, such as adapting to the impacts of climate change.
Central Government is reforming the resource management system to create one that’s more certain and efficient – a system that supports development within environmental limits and is required to give effect to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi).
At its heart is te Oranga o te Taiao – a concept drawn from te ao Māori, and an intergenerational ethic that speaks to the health and wellbeing of the natural environment, and the essential relationship between a healthy environment and its capacity to sustain all life.
You can read an overview from the Ministry for the Environment.
What it means for Toi Moana
As the regional council for the Bay of Plenty we look after land, air, and water resources, supporting biodiversity and biosecurity, regional transport services, and building more resilient communities in the face of climate change and natural hazards.
Our priority is ensuring the new Resource Management System works in the best interest of our local communities and environments.
The new Acts require genuine partnership with te Tiriti partners. We’ll be connecting with iwi/hāpu in different and new ways, and we’re working that out together. These laws have been designed by central Government to one day work in tandem with a Climate Change Adaptation Act, and together the three Acts are intended to eventually replace the Resource Management Act (RMA).
There is a lot to work through to operationalise the new legislation and we are actively involved to ensure this transition benefits both our local communities and our environment.
When is change happening?
Aotearoa New Zealand is now operating under two new pieces of legislation: the Natural and Built Environment Act and the Spatial Planning Act.
The RMA is still operational for the next 7–10 years. The transition will involve integrating parts of the new Acts while still relying on established RMA procedures.
With the new legislation taking effect, a handful of specific provisions are live as of 24 August 2023.
This includes aspects related to consents, freshwater planning, contaminated land, aquaculture, and bolstered compliance and enforcement powers and tools. Freshwater consent applications lodged on or after this date will have to be limited in consent duration.