Last week, the government announced its much-anticipated plans for repealing and replacing the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA).

The announcement has been referred to as ‘Phase 3’ of the government’s resource management system reform: In Phase 1 it repealed the Labour government’s RMA replacement legislation; and in Phase 2 it is introducing bite-sized changes to the existing regime that will apply before the new legislation takes effect, as well as establishing the fast-track consenting process.

Headlines have highlighted the government’s focus on private property rights as the ‘guiding principle’ of the new regime, the scope of the resource management system being significantly narrowed and simplified, and the overall objective of creating a more permissive regime.

In this article we delve deeper into the recommendations on RMA reform from the Expert Advisory Group (EAG), identify where they have and have not been accepted by Cabinet, and what we can expect from the replacement legislation. We also analyse the implications for developers, infrastructure providers and councils.

Open the pdf below to read the full article.