RMA resource management act change: Hamilton mayor voices "serious" concerns

Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate acknowledged the RMA is not fit for purpose in its current form. Photo / Supplied

Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate has serious concerns about the loss of local voices throughout the Resource Management Act (RMA) reform.

The Government announced this week that the RMA will be replaced by two pieces of legislation, the Natural and Built Environments Act (NBA), and the Spatial Planning Act, which are meant to be faster and cheaper than the RMA.

Key features of the changes include clearer national directions as well as regional decision-making and spatial plans, but Southgate is concerned about the impacts of the changes, particularly for metro councils like Hamilton.

"As a tier-one metro city, we're constantly asked to deliver to higher levels by Government across transport, housing and the environment ... This reform is yet again overriding our excellent strategic planning, which is not acceptable to me," Southgate says.

"While we can all acknowledge the RMA is not fit for purpose in its current form and needs a facelift, that shouldn't come at the expense of us being able to advocate for our community's needs."

Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate is "seriously" concerned about the impact of the RMA changes for metro councils like Hamilton. Photo / Mike Walen, KeyImagery

Southgate says Hamilton, as a fast-growing metro city, had "unique challenges" that the city's smaller neighbours don't.

The legislation sets out how the country will allow development and protect our environment in the future.

HCC had already voiced its concerns about the lack of local voice and uncertainty about the role of local government when the plan-making functions are removed, when the council gave feedback on an exposure draft of the NBA released last year.

Southgate says the Hamilton City Council had a "widely respected approach" in Waikato "in terms of how we've partnered with central Government and iwi to plan for growth and protect our environmental resources".

As examples of how the council worked with its neighbours to deliver cross-boundary plans, she named the Future Proof Strategy, the Hamilton-Waikato Metropolitan Spatial Plan and other transport and wastewater business cases.

"We'd hate to see the good work that's been done be undermined by expensive bureaucratic processes, leaving us only one voice around a fairly large table," Southgate says.

The legislation is expected to be introduced and passed before the end of this parliamentary term late next year.

However, the NZ Herald reported that the new system was incredibly complex and will require a transition period of roughly 10 years which means the RMA will live on for years to come.

HCC expects it will have the opportunity to make a submission on the legislation as part of the select committee process.

You can read more about the resource management reform online.