08 March 2017

MEDIA RELEASE

Simpson Grierson says recommendations improve clarity and workability to RLA Bill, but overarching themes remain

On Monday, the Local Government and Environment Committee announced its recommended changes to the Resource Legislation Amendment Bill with several recommendations that improve the clarity and workability, partner Sarah Scott says.

The select committee has proposed that the original changes to the Resource Management Act 1991 need to have improved Māori participation arrangements, replacing "Iwi participation arrangement" with "Mana Whakahono a Rohe".

"The recommendations about iwi participation would broaden the scope of those arrangements to include consenting and monitoring, and generally have more of a partnership flavour," Sarah says.

There are certainly areas of improvement in the Bill that will increase certainty such as providing consistency with the National Policy Statement on Urban Development Capacity.

But the likes of top-down direction in the form of national planning standards, watered down regulation making powers and reduced rights of appeal are still a key feature of the Bill, Sarah says.

"The Committee's recommendations do not significantly alter the general move away from local decision-making, and towards more streamlined planning processes."

The Bill will come back to the House for its second reading this week.

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