Farmers Unhappy With New RMA Replacement Bills
Farmers are unhappy with the Government's replacement legislation for the Resource Management Act (RMA).
It’s also likely that local government will get a makeover akin to what it got back in 1989.
These changes are profound and when finally in place will affect just about every New Zealander.
A few weeks ago, central government foreshadowed the RMA reforms with news that it was going to limit the scope and power of regional councils who until now have played a significant role in the environmental management space.
This is bit like what happened when Labour was in power in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Few doubt that reform is needed, but at the time there is reticence to unconditionally endorse the changes. As always, the devil is in the detail, and these reforms are no exception.
The high-level slogans, like simplifying the consenting process, cutting red tape, reducing duplication, and cutting the size of the local government bureaucracy, all seem to make perfect sense. But amongst all the hype there is a big but! Implementation.
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says this is what he’s most anxious about: will the ‘can’t do’, the petty, rulemaking, negative culture of many local council staff change? Will they carry on like a flock of Sir Humphries from the TV series Yes, Minister and find a way of not doing what central government wants them to do, or will they have a eureka moment and suddenly change? That is the worry of many farming leaders and why they are busy analysing the detail of the new bills line-by-line and preparing submissions on the local government reforms.
The carnival is far from over and unless there is committed change and a largely bipartisan political approach, the new reforms could end up just like the old RMA – a frustrating encumbrance on society.
