Greater opportunity for local input & clarity on costs needed in Bills
The Council’s submission on the Government’s Planning and Natural Environment Bills (to replace the Resource Management Act 1991) calls for greater opportunity for local public input and considerations to be taken into account, and for safeguards so undue costs do not fall on councils and ratepayers.
The Bills heavily centralise decision making and grant the Government broad intervention powers.
Environment Southland chair Jeremy McPhail said the Council strongly opposes the aspects of centralisation that do not sufficiently provide for regional discretion and community participation.
“At the moment there is no guarantee of mana whenua representation, no requirement for early engagement with community or industry around the development of a spatial plan and the setting of human health limits. There are higher thresholds for public and targeted notifications of consents, and the plan templates and timelines don’t allow for nuanced local input into their development.
“We’re asking the Government to rebalance central and local roles in the Bills so there can be effective locally-based decision making. We want to ensure there is opportunity for meaningful public and iwi contributions into decisions that will affect our region, and the flexibility to adapt national policies to local circumstances.”
The Government is progressing a number of reforms impacting local government and the costs on councils and ratepayers are unclear.
Chair McPhail: “The Bills are vague on how costs will be met and who will be responsible. Some things we’ve questioned are implementation and transition costs, administration costs such as the mandatory registration of permitted activities and the potential costs from any ministerial interventions.
“A big concern for us is the requirement for local authorities to compensate landowners when regulations to protect biodiversity or landscapes impact property rights. It would be unequitable for this cost to fall on ratepayers, but who else would pay?
“These relief provisions deincentivise councils from implementing communities’ aspirations for the environment and their wellbeing. We want to see those provisions removed or reconceptualised to reward positive environmental action.”
Environment Southland supports the reform of the Resource Management Act 1991 to enable a thriving economy, but makes it clear in our submission that this must be supported by a healthy environment and well-connected communities to ensure it can be sustained over time. The Council would like the Bills reverted into a single Act to avoid fragmentation strategically and operationally, noting that some of the goals are not fully aligned. Furthermore, the Council wants to see the Bills designed alongside other national reforms to ensure there are no conflicts and to provide clarity on the costs.
Environment Southland’s submission outlines a range of other concerns in some detail and provides suggestions and recommendations for improvements.
