Resource Management Act Archive

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  Cleaning up our country – toxic sites - by Catherine Delahunty

  
  
  
  The “100% Pure New Zealand” myth has long been busted but work to clean up the country has lagged behind for many years. This is partly because it costs real money to tackle our worst problems such as the roughly 20,000 contaminated sites across the country. One of the reasons I stood for Parliament was [...] read more
  May 26, 2011 9:06 am - 5 Comments
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  Protecting the urban forest - by David Clendon

  
  
  
  On Sunday I made a brief presentation to the AGM of the Tree Council, appropriately in the very pleasant and leafy surroundings of the education centre at Cornwall Park, Auckland.  The council has a lot on its plate in the coming year, not least of all because general tree protection rules that were typically put [...] read more
  November 1, 2010 4:02 pm - 13 Comments
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  Rules for freshwater management? Never! - by frog

  
  
  
  Kiran Chug has a great story in this morning’s Dominion Post: the sorry tale of the proposed National Policy Statement on Freshwater management. Our rivers are getting dirtier and dirtier while this document languishes. A quick history: National policy statements are tools that can be developed under the Resource Management Act to guide local and [...] read more
  June 16, 2010 10:45 am - 11 Comments
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  You may no longer be consulted - by frog

  
  
  
  “If you live nearby to a development, you may no longer be consulted about its effect on you” – what a Council says about the what the RMA changes will mean in practice. read more
  October 6, 2009 10:16 pm - 5 Comments
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  The politics of water - by Russel Norman

  
  
  
  Water management is in the news today and that’s because the management of freshwater resources in New Zealand is at a crisis point. Across the country water quality is declining in rivers and lakes while wetlands and streams are drying up. Freshwater ecosystems have collapsed in many parts of the country and most lowland rivers [...] read more
  June 9, 2009 1:31 pm - 22 Comments
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  Seeking justice becomes 9 times harder today - by frog

  
  
  
  Today the Government’s increase in the filing fee to lodge an appeal with the Environment Court takes effect. The increase of the filing fee from $55 to $500 takes this mediation out of reach of many Kiwis, and will mean that big developers and Councils will not have to find agreed solutions that improve outcomes [...] read more
  May 7, 2009 10:49 am - 48 Comments
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  Dozy bulls bear down on Auckland - by frog

  
  
  
  Aucklanders are getting a raw deal when they try to oppose NACTs propose changes proposed to environmental protection laws as reported in Granny Herald today. The problem, say interested groups, is no one contacted them to let them know when or where the hearings were to be held, or when their submissions were scheduled to [...] read more
  April 30, 2009 5:19 pm - 11 Comments
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  The happs in the RMA Select Committee - by frog

  
  
  
  After two 12-hour marathon days of submissions, last week and yesterday, it looks like the National-led Government’s attempt to “simplify and streamline” the Resource Management Act – New Zealand’s primary environmental protection law – by removing the “non-complying” consent category is full of holes and sinking fast. Green Co-Leader and MP on the Select Committee, Russel Norman, [...] read more
  April 29, 2009 5:30 pm - 15 Comments
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  Connecting the dots - by frog

  
  
  
  In the Herald this morning Gary Taylor, the chair of the Environment Defence Society, connects the dots between the proposed Auckland Super City and the reforms of the Resource Management Act currently being considered by Parliament: [The RMA Bill] proposes to disallow appeals to the Environment Court on the content of plans unless special permission [...] read more
  April 20, 2009 11:30 am - 19 Comments
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  RMA Bill – Submissions Overload! - by frog

  
  
  
  I’ve just heard that the Local Government and Environment Select Committee has received over 1000 submissions on the Resource Management (Simplifying and Streamlining) Amendment Bill. It’s great to see the public is not willing to let this affront to democracy and environmental protection be rammed through without a protest. New Zealanders have a right to [...] read more
  April 7, 2009 4:01 pm - 34 Comments
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  It’s the elephant, not the money - by Metiria Turei

  
  
  
  The media kerfuffle over Meridian’s secret ‘hush-money’ paid to DOC to supposedly silence its concerns with the Project Hayes wind farm is a little off the mark. While “following the money” is often a good maxim, in this case the elephant in the room is actually Government policy. Back in 2004, when the Labour Government began [...] read more
  February 17, 2009 1:32 pm - 3 Comments
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  RMA reform roundup - by frog

  
  
  
  Yesterday the government announced its proposed reforms for the Resource Management Act (RMA). Personally, I was unimpressed, as it seemed to me that many of the so called reforms were mechanisms that already existed in the current legislation. It looked like a re-branding exercise. Most of the changes were actually tweaks to the existing regime, [...] read more
  February 4, 2009 4:02 pm - 39 Comments
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  g.blog: ‘Fixing’ the Resource Management Act - by frog

  
  
  
  It turns out our toad is a bit of a Ralph Steadman! For those who want some historical background the National Development Act 1979 was Muldoon’s effort to speed up development projects in the ‘national interest’. It was a key part of Think Big and the Clyde Dam.  It was also a great way of [...] read more
  September 23, 2008 2:02 pm - 2 Comments
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  Regulating against climate emissions - by frog

  
  
  
  No Right Turn has just posted an introduction to the alternatives to an emissions trading scheme.  It quotes Truthseeker: Legislatively mandating emissions reductions to an open and transparent regulatory schedule and NOT operating a market may actually be cheaper and ultimately more effective than an ETS. It should be required reading for right wing parties [...] read more
  July 18, 2008 6:41 pm - 17 Comments
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  Mixed Metaphors - by frog

  
  
  
  Federated Farmers thinks the Resource Management Act is a pair of smelly socks: “We are comparing the 16-year-old RMA to an old pair of socks : worn out and threadbare” And Nandor thinks the Federated Farmers’ proposed solution is a six pack of warm, stale, flat beer: “Under their ’6-pack’ Federated Farmers want farmers to [...] read more
  November 21, 2007 10:55 am - 3 Comments