Benson-Pope David: Resource Management Amendment Bill (No 5) Electricity Amendment Bill (No 3) — Third Readings 
Benson-Pope David: Resource Management Amendment Bill (No 5) Electricity Amendment Bill (No 3) — Third Readings 
[Volume:627;Page:22332] 
Hon DAVID BENSON-POPE (Associate Minister for the Environment)  
on behalf of the  
Minister for the Environment 
: I move  
That the Resource Management Amendment Bill (No 5) and the Electricity Amendment Bill (No 3) be now read a third time 
. Labour is committed to a clean and healthy environment and to giving people a say in environmental decision-making. Protecting our environment is a strategic investment in New Zealand’s future. The Resource Management Act is about striking the right balance between using our environment and protecting it for future generations. 
There are those who have signalled their intention to gut the Resource Management Act. They want to tilt the playing field so that development will win out over the legitimate concerns of communities. I think most New Zealanders would regard that as incredibly short-sighted and would be most concerned. New Zealanders in major surveys consistently rate quality of life much higher than economic drivers. 
I wish to affirm today the belief that the Resource Management Act can be improved. However those improvements are not to be found in changing the sound fundamental principles of the Act but in listening and responding to the genuine concerns of those who use the Act. The Government’s view of the Resource Management Act after 18 months of consultation has highlighted concerns associated with delays costs inconsistency and a lack of national leadership since 1991. The solutions contained in this legislation relate to those very real problems. 
There are people who are trying to put up phantoms distortions and out and out lies in their bid to rip the Resource Management Act apart. They would have us believe that we have had no new roads and no new power infrastructure and in fact that all projects requiring any sort of resource consent have had to be cancelled. Of course that is just nonsense. Attacks of that kind are big on slogans but very short on facts. 
In recent times the New Zealand economy has grown 3.5 percent against an OECD average of 2.2 percent. In fact growth has been significantly higher in New Zealand compared with most other OECD members for a number of years now. In excess of 49000 resource consents are issued by local government each year and 95 percent of them are considered minor and non-notified. Fewer than 1 percent of consent applications are declined each year. A comparison of environmental compliance costs internationally shows that New Zealand is a better place in which to be doing business than many of our competitor nations including Australia. 
The New Zealand system of environmental management places huge responsibilities on local government—more so than anywhere else in the world. The amendments proposed in this legislation tackle decision making at all levels. Local authorities and the Environment Court have made huge improvements in implementing the Resource Management Act since its inception in 1991. Due to increased funding and new case-management systems the backlog in the Environment Court has been slashed by 50 percent since 2001. Those who have been dealing with the Environment Court know that cases get attention within weeks now not years as it used to be. The court now puts pressure on parties to mediate or progress cases as soon as possible. 
The legislation builds on those improvements by introducing accreditation for hearing consents and by requiring local decision makers to set out the matters that inform their decisions. Councils will be given more tools to conduct robust hearings. Decision makers will need to be accredited and when they have achieved that accreditation they will have new powers to deal with vexatious submitters. I am delighted to inform the House that nearly 600 local government elected members have already committed to and completed the training process. 
The legislation introduces a series of timely sensible and well-thought-out improvements to the workings of the Resource Management Act. It provides greater certainty and efficiency in the way the Act operates while not sacrificing protection for the environment. It will enable the Resource Management Act to work even better. 
This legislation is about achieving the right balance between national and local interests. The Government recognises that local authorities are increasingly being asked to consider projects that raise issues of national significance. The current policy environment provides little guidance on balancing local and national interests. This legislation provides a new way for councils and Government to work together when matters have more than local implications—when they raise issues of national significance. The legislation implements policy developed by Local Government New Zealand to give the Minister for the Environment more tools to deal with matters that need to be decided at a national level or with assistance from central government. Those tools will be exercised only after consultation with the relevant local authorities. The Minister has also been granted new powers to investigate local authority performance to make recommendations and to direct local authorities to prepare plans. 
The Government is committed to greater central government leadership in the Resource Management Act. It has already adopted 14 national environmental standards and the Ministry for the Environment is currently scoping a further five national environmental standards and three national policy statements. Changes in the legislation will facilitate both the development of national policy statements and the implementation of national environmental standards. The legislation is a reinforcement that national standards should be able to set clear and consistent environmental bottom lines without allowing significant adverse effects on the environment. 
The legislation also supports local policy formation and makes improvements to its design and process. It reaffirms the local authority’s role in setting local policy. It elevates the status of regional policy statements and thereby promotes integrated regional planning. The Government has placed emphasis on working with local government and communities and this legislation focuses on empowering councils so that they have the skills and the resources needed to implement improvements to the Resource Management Act process. We can and do as a nation need economic growth but in such a way that it does not ride roughshod over communities or the clean air water and soil guaranteed and necessary for generations to come. 
The Resource Management Act is a good one. We want to make it work even better for all New Zealanders. I am pleased to commend this legislation to the House.