Government issues warning on RMA compliance
The Government has issued a stern warning to regional councils and unitary authorities to toe the line in respect upcoming changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA).
OPINION: Finally, the jackboot of State will be lifted from the throat of those trying to grow the economy.
Two new Acts - the Natural Environmental Act and the Planning Act - will replace the RMA by the end of 2025, with a bill introduced to Parliament in 2026 and passed before the next election.
According to RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Undersecretary Simon Court, the new system will be grounded in property rights and will shift the burden of proof to those who currently weaponise the RMA to block development.
Cue the wailing from Greenpeace, whose hissy fit nicely sums up the current problem - lack of respect for property rights: "The proposed reforms are based on the dangerous idea that if you own a piece of land, you should be able to do what you like with it."
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
The ACT Party says media reports that global dairy giant Nestle has withdrawn from the Dairy Methane Action Alliance shows why New Zealand needs to rethink its approach to climate.
If there was a silver lining in the tragedy that was Cyclone Gabrielle, for New Zealand Young Grower of the Year, Grace Fulford, it was the tremendous sense of community and seeing first-hand what good leadership looks like.
New research could help farmers prepare for a future where summer rainfall is increasingly unpredictable and where drought risk is rising, no matter what.
The first calves of a new crossbred dairy-beef offering are now on the ground at a Pamu (Landcorp) farm near Taupo.
Spinach is NZ's favourite leafy green, according to the Department of Statistics.
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