Major Parties to Debate Farming Policy Ahead of Election
Leading figures from the major political parties will be questioned on their primary sector policies at the Rural Issues Debate at Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton, on 30 September.
Federated Farmers RMA reform spokesperson Mark Hooper described the legislation as a major milestone not just for farmers, but for New Zealand more broadly.
"We've been pushing hard for RMA reform because the status quo has simply not been good enough," Hooper says.
He says the RMA, in place for more than 30 years, had made it increasingly difficult and expensive for productive New Zealanders to grow the economy. Farmers, he says, had spent too much time and money navigating a system that was unnecessarily complex and uncertain, even for basic activities such as building a shed or water storage.
Hooper says councils and communities had also been left managing layers of bureaucratic planning rules and processes under the current system.
"This marks the end of that era and the beginning of an opportunity to do things differently," he says.
Legislation Passed Before Election, as Federated Farmers Urged
Federated Farmers had repeatedly called on the Government to pass RMA reform before the November general election.
"We've been clear that getting this legislation passed before the election was important, and the Government has delivered on that," Hooper says.
He says the country now had "a clean slate" and the opportunity to build a planning system that is simpler, more predictable, and focused on outcomes rather than red tape.
"These two new laws mark a fundamental shift in the way New Zealand manages its natural resources," Hooper says. "Finally, we can restore some commonsense to the whole system and make it easier for farmers – and all New Zealanders – to get things done."
Certainty Needed for Long-Term Investment
Hooper says a better resource management system was critical to New Zealand's ability to grow and invest. He says farmers need to be able to make long-term business decisions without uncertainty over future planning rules, consent requirements or council processes.
He says that certainty matters when farmers are deciding whether to invest in infrastructure, improve environmental outcomes, expand production, develop irrigation, or make other long-term investments in their farms.
More broadly, Hooper says New Zealand needs to build houses, infrastructure and businesses, generate energy and grow its productive economy — and a planning system that adds unnecessary delay, cost and uncertainty makes that harder than it needs to be.
Focus Now Shifts to Implementation
While calling the legislation's passage a major step in the right direction, Hooper says the focus must now turn to ensuring the new system works as intended in practice.
"We'll be watching that closely and continuing to advocate for a system that delivers certainty for farmers while achieving the environmental outcomes New Zealand needs," he says.
Hooper says there was still some way to go before the new system is fully operational, but says there were steps the Government could take to speed up the benefits of the reform. He pointed to Federated Farmers' request for 10 new national standards that would make basic farming activities permitted activities.
