RMA replacement bills promise major change for farmers

The Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill, which will replace the much-criticised Resource Management Act (RMA), were introduced by the Government last week. This heralds the start of a process that will probably take four years before the new bills become fully operational and embedded in law.

They effectively run in tandem with already announced reforms to local government and will collectively bring massive changes to the everyday lives of New Zealanders - in particular to the way they farm, deal with environmental issues and build houses.

The rural community has led the charge against the present RMA, saying it stifles growth, lacks consistency and direction, is unnecessarily costly and causes angst and delays.

Canterbury farmer David Clark became a poster boy for RMA reform after outlining his family's ordeal in trying to renew a straightforward consent for their mixed arable, seed and livestock farm. The Facebook post struck a nerve, was shared widely across rural communities, and drew sharp attention from the Beehive.

In an exclusive interview with Rural News, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop agrees with farmers and growers saying there's been enduring frustration with the RMA.

He says it hasn't been working effectively for many years and has fostered a "can't do rather than a can do" mentality.

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Bishop says the new regime is the right thing to do for growth and productivity.

"For farmers and growers, the new bills will mean fewer permits and consents around that and believe we can strip up to 46% or up to 22,000 consents and permits out of the system entirely.

"Then with greater standardisation there will be a further reduction in red tape and compliance costs, meaning that farmers can do what they do best - farming, rather than spending endless hours dealing with red tape," he says.

With the new bills there will be more national standards, meaning central government will put tighter controls on what local authorities can do.

Bishop says when the RMA was passed in 1991, it was left to the regions to do their thing, and they were not incentivised or equipped to do things in a standardised way.

"This is now set to change," Bishop says.