Government Provides Clarity To Farmers & Councils On Freshwater Plans

The Government will move to add an amendment to the Resource Management Act Amendment Bill, currently before Parliament, which will restrict councils’ ability to notify freshwater plans before the gazettal of the replacement National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Environment Minister Penny Simmonds say.

“The Government is taking this step to provide farmers the clarity they need around freshwater management, and to minimise inefficiencies and duplication for councils, and prevent unnecessary costs for ratepayers,” Mr McClay says.

“Labour’s National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 (the NPS-FM) is extremely complex and expensive for farmers and councils to implement – and despite that it won’t deliver the outcomes for freshwater that New Zealanders would expect,” Mr Bishop says.

“That’s why late last year the Government legislated so that councils would have an additional three years to notify their freshwater plans and why this Government is committed to reviewing and replacing the NPS-FM.”

“Regional councils must be equipped to manage freshwater resources in a way that is efficient, effective, and aligned with the Government’s future-focused goals. This amendment ensures the primary sector has clarity over regulations and that councils don’t waste time and resources developing plans that will soon be superseded by the new NPS-FM,” Mr McClay says.

“This is about protecting the interests of the primary sector, resource users, and ratepayers. Ratepayers and farmers need certainty, and they don’t deserve to have their money wasted.

“By delaying plan notifications, we are providing certainty to farmers, that their planning efforts will be in sync with national direction.”

“Councils will still have an avenue to progress their freshwater plans in some circumstances – for example, where doing so would more quickly enable key housing or infrastructure projects to go ahead – by applying for approval from the Minister for the Environment,” Ms Simmonds says.

“We look forward to working alongside councils as we develop the replacement NPS-FM. We will have more to say about it early next year.”