Federated Farmers are slamming the Government’s cynical decision to rush their fatally flawed 1000-page RMA replacement Bills through the House in the final sitting days of this Government.

"This is a nightmare for farmers and rural communities that will add nothing but cost and complexity to their lives," Federated Farmers RMA reform spokesperson Mark Hooper says.

"Federated Farmers have repeatedly raised serious concerns about this legislation on behalf of our membership, and those concerns remain completely unresolved.

"Local communities are to be stripped of their democratic decision-making ability, which will be passed off to new Regional Planning Committees, and the legislation still includes a long list of vague and uncertain terms that will simply lead to endless and expensive litigation."

The only thing worse than the content of the Bills is the process they’ve followed to get here. This isn’t the way good laws are made, Hooper said.

"Thousands of pages of amendments have been rushed through Parliament at breakneck speed to try and pass the reforms before the upcoming election.

"It’s hard to believe all MP’s have had the time or capacity to properly read the law and understand the implications of the changes that are being made, particularly as they prepare for an election campaign.

"Given the contentious nature of this reform the Government should have taken it to the election to seek a mandate from New Zealanders," Hooper concluded.

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