Full Version Of RMA Replacement Keenly Awaited

Issues important to business are missing from the RMA replacement Bill, BusinessNZ says.

Presenting BusinessNZ’s submission on the Natural and Built Environments Bill,

BusinessNZ economist John Pask said the draft exposure Bill was silent on key issues such as allocation of resources, changes in use rights and consenting.

Provisions for the protection of people’s property rights, the right to compensation for losing the use or value of property, and associated appeal rights were also missing from the draft exposure Bill.

"As these were some of the areas that caused difficulty in the Resource Management Act, it is concerning that the RMA replacement should not at this stage refer to them."

Mr Pask said business had been handicapped in the past by the RMA prioritising environmental over economic issues, and the draft Bill appeared to continue that approach, with a lack of flexibility to meet needed trade-offs.

"Business will be waiting with some anticipation to see the full version of the Natural and Built Environments Bill, and would hope that there will be another consultation on the full version before it is introduced to Parliament, in the hope that some of these constraints might be ameliorated."

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