Resource Management Act revamp gets industry nod

Electricity retailer and generator TrustPower has welcomed one of the National Party's planned reforms to the Resource Management Act - unveiled yesterday - as "a huge step in the right direction".

The proposal to let applications for major resource consents go direct to the Environment Court would save time and money, said the company's community relations manager, Graeme Purchas.

TrustPower, a listed firm part-owned by Wellington's Infratil, comes up against the RMA when it seeks consents for power stations.

Purchas also said a "particularly pleasing" feature of National's policy statement was the "late consent is a free consent" proposal, meaning that councils would not be able to charge for resource consents processed late.

"All too often, we've seen councils dragging the chain."

He had doubts about National's proposal for scrapping legal aid for objectors, since major RMA cases were often "big guy" versus "little guy" affairs, "and there's no question that the little guy often doesn't have the resources".

He agreed, however, that funding for objectors has been handed out too freely.

The National Party identifies three key problems with the act:

* The public consultation provisions are open to abuse.

* There is not enough emphasis on land owners' rights.

* Too much decision-making is in the hands of councils, leading to inconsistency at a national level.

The party says its proposals are intended to cut delays, increase certainty, limit vexatious and frivolous objections, and streamline the processing of consents.

The proposals - outlined at only a broad level - include:

* Making greater use of national environmental standards.

* Repealing references to the Treaty of Waitangi.

* Limiting objectors to "people directly affected".

* Simplifying the process for changing regional and district plans.

National says it will legislate within nine months to deal with these "process issues".

The next phase of reform will deal with "the more complex issues of resource allocation and infrastructure provision".

Tradeable water rights are an example of such an issue.

Business NZ chief executive Phil O'Reilly said National's statement looked positive in principle but business would be waiting to see the fine print, "since technical details have bedevilled the RMA in the past".

He said National had addressed all the key issues bar one: ensuring minor adverse effects are not held to outweigh substantial economic benefits in projects of national significance.

Business NZ is the policy and advocacy wing of the Employers & Manufacturers Association (Northern), Employers & Manufacturers Association (Central), Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce and the Otago Southland Employers Association.

Power giants Contact Energy and Vector would not comment yesterday on National's proposals.

At Meridian Energy, spokesman Alan Seay said the state-owned generator was reluctant to comment on party policies but supported measures to streamline the RMA.

At fund manager Brook Asset Management, principal Simon Botherway said: "The speed with which consents are processed is obviously important and that's something that they've identified.

"The RMA needs considerable improvement from our point of view.

"It's presenting significant barriers to the companies we talk to in terms of their investment objectives and profiles."