Resource management stories
Public scrutiny begins on a replacement regime for the RMA, with the first draft aiming to speed planning and ease housing constraints.
Councils face tighter rules and faster consents as New Zealand moves to boost housing supply, curb prices and fund infrastructure.
Councils could gain new powers and funding tools as a two-year review seeks to overhaul a system critics say is unfit for today’s demands.
The package aims to boost supply and help first-home buyers, but experts warn it may not curb soaring prices or fix shortages quickly.
Planning certainty may improve if the RMA is replaced, but businesses and councils fear new laws could still trigger costly litigation and delays.
Without a clear plan, New Zealand's resource management overhaul will miss the Government's wellbeing and net-zero goals, says Infrastructure New Zealand.
New planning laws may still fail to fix housing shortages and infrastructure gaps unless councils and agencies get more capacity and funding.
New Zealand’s recovery could stall without fresh spending, as lawyers urge the next government to widen shovel-ready funding and speed reform.
Weak planning, funding and governance are leaving New Zealand unable to deliver the wider public outcomes it now says it wants.
Experts say estuaries need stronger protections and better monitoring as pollution, sediment and sea-level rise threaten New Zealand’s waterways.
Sweeping planning and infrastructure reforms could speed housing and business land supply, although transport pricing still awaits progress.
Business leaders say the overhaul could speed up planning, cut costs and improve housing and infrastructure delivery, but local councils face uncertainty.
Transport industry groups say decades of stop-start planning could end if National’s $31 billion road and rail programme goes ahead.
The proposed $31 billion programme would reshape commuting in the upper North Island, while relying on RMA repeal and borrowing powers.
Consumers faced an extra USD $80 million bill as the Electricity Authority found Meridian’s spilling also raised emissions and fossil fuel use.
The project will add 93 MW of capacity and offset 100,000 tonnes of CO2 a year as MainPower begins site works near Waipara.
Planners warn the rushed consents could sideline community input and environmental safeguards as recovery projects are sped through this month.
New rules will impose tougher farm controls and swimming standards, but scientists warn implementation will determine whether waterways actually improve.
Temporary changes to resource consenting could speed up Covid-19 recovery projects, though councils warn wider planning reforms must follow.
Billions in COVID-19 spending could be used to unlock projects, create jobs and speed New Zealand’s economic recovery, Infrastructure NZ says.
