Tisch Lindsay: Resource Management Amendment Bill (No 2) — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
Tisch Lindsay: Resource Management Amendment Bill (No 2) — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee 
[Volume:608;Page:5488] 
LINDSAY TISCH (NZ National—Piako) 
: 
 It has been a very interesting conclusion through to the Committee stage of a bill that has been rushed through in only a month. If we were to go back to the previous National administration when we had a review and came up with the 1999 Resource Management Amendment Bill there were 400 submissions and a huge input into that whole process. But what do we have today? We have a bill that has been languishing since 1999 now coming through as the Resource Management Amendment Bill (No 2) with only 4 weeks in which to go through what were 18 parts but have now been reduced to two parts. There will be a truncated debate on 18 parts— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: What? 
LINDSAY TISCH 
: A truncated debate on 18 parts taken down to two parts. We will be arguing to spend as much time on this debate starting with the title as if it were 18 parts. I tell members that this bill has been a means by this Government to bring through legislation just like we saw last night with the customs and excise legislation brought in under extraordinary urgency. The debate that we are having now could have been held under urgency because it is significant and I will come to the title. 
The Government is ramming through this legislation without the proper consultation process. So when I talk about what the title of this bill should be I have major concerns. I will call this the “Banana Bill”. Banana stands for “build absolutely nothing anywhere near anybody” because that is what this bill does. This bill is so prescriptive that one will not be able to do a thing about it. There will be that many laws and costs. It is interesting is it not? Everybody has said so and the Minister in the chair the Hon Marian Hobbs has also made some interesting comments. I hope she will take a call. She has been quoted as saying: “The RMA is a beautifully written beautifully balanced piece of legislation.” That has a ring about it does it not? “A beautifully written beautifully balanced piece of legislation” has a bit of a swing about it. She went on to say: “I don’t think the RMA is a particularly friendly Act for the average New Zealander.” 
So what do we have? I have a quote from the Hon Jim Sutton in a primary industry management magazine and I am a member of this organisation. He stated: “One thing about the RMA let me say straight away. We do not believe that wholesale revision of the Act is needed. The Government considers that sustainable management of our unique natural and physical resources is vital to New Zealand’s social economic and environmental well-being. Agriculture is dependent on the sustainability of natural and physical resources such as soil water and biodiversity and the Government strongly supports the RMA because it provides an integrated participatory and transparent approach to planning and sustainable management.” 
That is what the Minister said in this magazine some time ago. But when we look at the compliance costs and I am getting back to the title the ministerial panel recommended 52 changes to the Resource Management Act and I will talk about that at a later date. That is why I am suggesting that the title of this bill should be the “Banana Bill”. It could be the “Banana Split Bill” if we would like to call it that. 
An Hon Member 
: Yes well it has got two parts! 
LINDSAY TISCH 
: That is why it should be called the “Banana Bill”—build absolutely nothing anywhere near anybody. The bill is just so prescriptive. Week in and week out developers and farmers—and I represent a farming community—come and talk about the consent process and how difficult it is to be able to build. The big one to deal with at the moment is chicken sheds. Chickens—factory-farming—are a big industry in my area and this bill does nothing for them.