Brooking RachelHon RACHEL BROOKING (Associate Minister for the Environment): Thank you Madam Speaker for this opportunity—a very exciting opportunity I have to say—to speak on the second reading of the Natural and Built Environment Bill. It has been a long and thorough process. Now of course the problem definition is well known. The Resource Management Act (RMA) hasn't been working for really either side of the argument whether you want to protect the environment or enable development. We've seen that in particular with housing; it wasn't even mentioned in the RMA until changes made by this Government. It's baked in the status quo. So how is that to change? That is what the Randerson review looked at and then that came up with the suggestions that went into the Labour Party manifesto. Then the process included an exposure draft in this Parliament that the Environment Committee looked at a couple of years ago now. Then after that the bills—and they are substantial and you can't get away from that because they're trying to do a lot. This is always going to be a litigious area and so these bills they've got to do a lot. The select committee was very busy and I note that a lot of submitters they did spend their summer breaks making submissions and that was very much appreciated and the period for submissions was extended out. Then the select committee did meet throughout February and I think beyond as well to hear the different submissions. A lot of the members of the select committee we've gone to different conferences and tried to talk about the bill very carefully because it was at the select committee at this stage and really tried to thank submitters during those different meetings for their really thoughtful contributions. I know the select committee engaged very carefully with the range of submitters and hopefully those submitters can see that it was worth their time because there are numerous changes in this bill as reported back by the select committee.I want to start by thanking all of the permanent select committee members who did so much work on this bill—and they're outlined in the report; obviously I was part of that up until the start of May—and also to thank the officials both the officials of this place the clerks and also of course from the Ministry for the Environment and the Parliamentary Counsel Office. They have been very busy.So some of those changes that the bill makes overall—and then I'll comment on the select committee's changes to those—are to have these clear environmental bottom lines and this purpose that the previous speaker Chris Bishop has just spoken about. He just went to clause 3 the purpose of the Act which is to uphold te Oranga o te Taiao. That is now defined in subsection (3) of clause 3.I think another useful change that the select committee has made is the new clause 3A which sets out the different steps for achieving the purpose of that Act. I'd also note before going on too far that the select committee commentary is very useful in explaining the changes and anybody who is listening to this debate or reading Hansard in the future: go and have a look at the select committee report.Now the bill—Hon Scott Simpson: It's only 200 pages.Hon RACHEL BROOKING: —is also—I'm hearing that it's only 200 pages but it's a very good 200 pages. The bill as well tries to move all the GDP in the system at the moment that comes up at the resource consenting stage and people have to get involved in bespoke processes around that all the time and really move things into the plans—and we've heard from the Minister that those are at the regional scale—and also to have more in the national planning framework so that is the national consistency throughout the country and rather than being focused on environmental effects all the time to really look at positive outcomes and enabling outcomes. These are set out in clause 5 the system outcomes. The select committee heard a lot of submissions on these and I think really did some good work in strengthening the natural hazards outcome and also a new one that I certainly remember hearing a lot of submissions about was to include Public recreational use and enjoyment of the natural environment is maintained and enhanced."One of the other changes is to make the system simpler for users and most users do not spend lots of time within the Act itself. They spend time with the plans and as the Minister said there are over 100 plans at the moment. Instead there'll be one plan per region and that will make it simpler for users.Another change of course is that the role of iwi and hapū is enhanced. The bill has a different Treaty clause from the RMA but also sets out that involvement of iwi and hapū being on the regional planning committees having enhancement of Whakahono ā Rohe provisions and also setting up the national Māori entity to really do some audit work of the different components of the resource management system.Other changes to the bill are that it's really trying to enable activities that will decrease climate change emissions and as I mentioned before the stronger hazards wording. Part of that national consistency is with the national planning framework. I also note that the select committee made some changes here at clause 58. The national planning framework has to deal with the outcomes and give priority to those where possible. Also it's got these other things that it can consider at clause 58 and so that now includes urban trees and also enabling the supply of fresh fruit and vegetables which I think are really important. Then another major change that the select committee made was for the length of renewal consents for hydro schemes that this has been increased and that there's now a regulation-making power for the Minister to make further exemptions if there are good environmental reasons for doing that. So it is a large bill. It's got a lot of administrative processes in it that are much clearer than they are in the RMA and it will be of great benefit to users of the system. I commend it to the House."