4. Question No. 4—EnvironmentHon JUDITH COLLINS (Leader of the Opposition) to the Minister for the EnvironmentQuestion No. 4—EnvironmentSPEAKER: Before we get to the next question I want to apologise to the House. As a result of an oversight of mine when the question was transferred I omitted to transfer the gender and I'll ask the Leader of the Opposition as she asks the question to get the Minister's gender right. Thank you. 4. Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Leader of the Opposition) to the Minister for the Environment: Thank you Mr Speaker. By what date does he expect a new Natural and Built Environments Act to become law and does he believe this new Act will make it easier to build houses? Hon DAVID PARKER (Minister for the Environment): The Government announced today that an exposure draft of key provisions of the natural and built environments (NBA) Act will be presented to a select committee in May. We expect the bill of the full NBA and the strategic planning Act incorporating the outcomes of the select committee inquiry will be put before Parliament by the end of 2021 to be passed by the end of 2022. For the second part of the question: yes but it is no substitute for the action we're already taking including building more houses—public and private—than have been built for decades thousands more apprentices more infrastructure and directions to council under the Resource Management Act (RMA) to make room for growth up and out as well as fast-tracked consenting. Hon Judith Collins: Does he believe the concept of ensuring new development is within biophysical limits will make it easier to build houses in New Zealand? Hon DAVID PARKER: Yes because the problem with the current RMA is that it doesn't just put priority on protecting biophysical outcomes; it tries to protect amenity values which are more often subjective detached from biophysical values and are a crutch upon which nimbyism lies. Hon Judith Collins: What does ensuring new development is within biophysical limits" mean? Hon DAVID PARKER: The biophysical limits are intended to cover all of the domains such as water and air quality and indigenous biodiversity. The Randerson report upon which the legislation is based recommends that the gaps in those are filled in that national direction is consolidated and that that consolidation resolves some of the internal contradictions between different national direction and so there's more certainty in the system which will in itself enable clearer investment signals to the private sector as to where development should proceed more quickly. Hon Judith Collins: Why does he believe the proposed purpose of the new Act could "be perceived to have unintended consequences for how development is enabled"? Hon DAVID PARKER: The Randerson report has included a draft of key provisions for the replacement legislation including a replacement for Part 2. There are concerns that have been expressed by some including the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment that inadvertently the drafting has brought back amenity values into too great a focus. Those issues I'm wanting to work through with other political parties as well as through the select committee process so that we gain the objectives—which I think we all want—which are protection of natural values but the enabling of development. Hon Judith Collins: Has he provided the Hon Eugenie Sage any draft segments of the bill and if so on what date were they provided? Hon DAVID PARKER: The materials that I provided to Scott Simpson the Māori Party and the ACT Party at 9 a.m. this morning I handed to our partners in the Green Party I think at about 8 p.m. last night but in addition to that none."