The Government has invited ethnically eligible organisations (Polynesian in this case) to apply for funding from one of its many troughs (a health fund modestly supplied with a $450,000 swill).
It has also welcomed “a world first natural disaster insurance model” which comes into effect tomorrow. This is a collaboration embracing eight private insurers, the Earthquake Commission (EQC) and the Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ), providing New Zealanders with a single point of contact for natural disaster insurance claims.
But the Beehive release most likely to generate heated discussion is the exposure draft of a law intended to replace the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA).
The draft outlining key aspects of the Natural and Built Environments Act (NBA) will be presented to Parliament, then be referred to a select committee inquiry.
Covering land use and environmental regulation, the NBA is the primary replacement for the RMA which the Government has promised to repeal and replace.
It is one of a set of new laws the Government intends to enact to overhaul our resource management system.
An exposure draft of a Bill is one that is put out for stakeholder and public feedback before it is introduced to the House.
The exposure draft for the NBA includes:
- the purpose of the NBA (including a Te Tiriti o Waitangi clause) and related provisions;
- the National Planning Framework;
- Natural and Built Environments plans.
Parker said the “stronger recognition” of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Te Ao Māori were important considerations within the proposed Act.
This implies special considerations for Maori and signals the prospect of “the Treaty partnership” being further translated into co-governance arrangements that weaken the country’s democracy.
One intention is for communities to work together to produce one mandatory Natural and Built Environments Plan (NBA plan) for each region that covers resource use, allocation and land-use management. This would better integrate plan provisions, contributing to a more cohesive management of the natural and built environment, Parker said.
The exposure draft and explanatory material is available on the Ministry for the Environment website.
Opposition leader Judith Collins, responding to the news, said she wants the government to go faster.
“Everyone agrees the RMA needs scrapping, we can’t understand why Labour doesn’t sense the same urgency.
“Today’s announcement is one part of one of the three new pieces of legislation Labour wants to replace the RMA with. It’s too slow and too complex. The whole idea is to make the RMA simpler and easier to deal with.”
In the four years since Jacinda Ardern became Prime Minister, house prices had increased by $290,000, Collins noted.
She drew attention to her Urgent Measures Bill, fully drafted and ready to go, which requires councils to urgently upgrade their District Plans to make it easier for people to build houses.
“When Labour does eventually pass their new laws it looks set to see town planning become even more complex today. Labour’s Natural and Built Environment’s Act empowers Regional Planning Committees to set rules for everything from biodiversity, climate change, ecological integrity and housing supply.
“We all know it takes far too long to build anything in New Zealand. A National Government would scrap the RMA and focus on making New Zealand an easier place to get things done.”
Property Council New Zealand’s Head of Advocacy Denise Lee said wanting a simpler system and delivering one are two different things, and:
“It is hard to see how meeting all of the listed environmental outcomes will make the process less bureaucratic and burdensome.”
Reducing the number of plans and policy statements from 100 to 14 around the country was welcomed and would streamline the planning system but authorities and consenting teams needed to be properly resourced and supported.
The Property Council, moreover, is concerned at the lack of mention of development in the purpose section of the Natural and Built Environment Bill.
Forest & Bird wants a clearer emphasis on preserving nature first.
“The purpose of the new law must be to protect our fundamental need for a healthy environment. This should result in a rapid shift away from ‘limiting losses’ towards actively and urgently restoring the natural places and species we all value.
“That doesn’t mean stopping development. It simply means we need to grow and develop in a way that doesn’t destroy the environment. “
Latest from the Beehive
Health funding
Pacific Community Health fund opens
The Associate Minister of Health, Aupito William Sio, strongly encourages Pacific community organisations to apply for the Pacific Community Health Fund.
The Wellbeing Budget 2019 invested $9.8 million over four years to support Pacific community wellbeing, and a targeted approach to lifting Pacific wellbeing overall. This year, $450,000 is available to support community-led initiatives which meet the vision of ‘Resilient and Healthy Pacific peoples’ in Goal 3 of the Pacific Aotearoa Lalanga Fou report and the Ola Manuia: Pacific Health Action Plan 2020-2025.
The Fund is a collaboration between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry for Pacific Peoples. The objective is to provide Pacific communities with the opportunity to set and achieve their own wellbeing goals and aspirations. Pacific community organisations such as Pacific churches, Pacific owned charities or sporting organisations can apply.
Applications will close at 5pm on 19 July 2021. For more information about the Fund, eligibility criteria and to apply, visit: https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/populations/pacific-health/pacific-community-health-fund
Disaster insurance
World first natural disaster response model for New Zealand
A world first natural disaster insurance model which comes into effect on 30 June, is being welcomed by the Minister Responsible for the Earthquake Commission, David Clark.
The collaboration between eight private insurers, the Earthquake Commission (EQC) and the Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) provides New Zealander with a single point of contact for natural disaster insurance claims.
Building on the model used after the Kaikōura earthquake in 2016, people will make just one claim to their private insurer for all aspects of their private and EQC cover. However, EQC retains its role co-ordinating the Government’s insurance response and recovery following a future natural disaster.
“EQC will continue to drive its world-class $22m research programme into natural hazards and engineering, which underpins EQC’s ability to secure $7 billion of reinsurance and provide ongoing affordable house insurance for New Zealand homeowners,” David Clark said.
Resource management
First look at new law to replace RMA
A first draft of the proposed law that will replace the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) was released by the Government today.
Environment Minister David Parker said an exposure draft outlining key aspects of the Natural and Built Environments Act (NBA) will be presented to Parliament and then referred to a select committee inquiry.
Covering land use and environmental regulation, the NBA is the primary replacement for the RMA which the Government has promised to repeal and replace.
An exposure draft of a Bill is one that is put out for stakeholder and public feedback before it is introduced to the House.
This process is intended to test and improve the contents of the Bill before it goes into the formal Parliamentary process.
A second select committee process will be held when the full Bill is introduced to Parliament in early in 2022, David Parker said.
The select committee inquiry is expected to run for about three months and the public will be invited to make submissions on the exposure draft of the new Bill during this time.
David Parker said the NBA sets out the ways the proposed system will protect the environment.
“A new national planning framework will provide clear direction on how the new system is implemented. This integrated set of regulations will include mandatory environmental limits that cannot be crossed to avoid irreversible harm to the environment.
“These limits will protect ecological integrity and human health. This includes limits relating to freshwater, coastal waters, estuaries, air, soil and biodiversity,” he said.
“For the built environment, outcomes include well-functioning urban areas, more housing supply and enabling infrastructure. The new Act will include choice for consumers, contribute to the affordability of housing and the productivity of our economy.”
A new function in the proposed system is the setting of positive outcomes that are specified in the national planning framework for both the natural and built environments.
“We have moved away from just managing effects of activities because the existing RMA has allowed cumulative adverse effects including degraded water, increasing climate emissions and soil loss.
“Clear direction will be provided to achieve positive outcomes for the quality of the environment, the protection and restoration of the ecological systems as well as outstanding natural features and landscapes,” David Parker said.
The exposure draft outlines how more than 100 existing plans and policy statements will be consolidated into around 14 plans across the country.
Point of Order 
Reblogged this on The Inquiring Mind and commented:
So now we introduce apartheid into land use
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