Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
The government's proposed Resource Management Act (RMA) reforms will help improve farmer productivity by reducing red tape and compliance cost, according to Federated Farmers.
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop unveiled details of the reforms at Monday's post-Cabinet media conference, which include cutting red tape, boosting property rights, and removing the Treaty of Waitangi clause.
Federated Farmers RMA reform spokesperson Mark Hooper said the current RMA was "broken", making it difficult to get things done with too many things requiring a resource consent.
"Farmers are spending way too much time and money on costly resource consents and processes that are holding up investment in things like new water storage and rural infrastructure," he said.
"The red tape and box-ticking has become totally ridiculous."
Hooper said there were a number of changes and a lot of detail still to be worked through, but the reforms were on the right track.
He said the new framework - which includes proposing two new acts, a Natural Environment Act and Planning Act - will increase the number of permitted activities and reduce the number which require resource consent.
"What seems to be the key theme is a shift from an effects based process to a focus on what's called externalities. And this is based around the principle of the enjoyment of property rights.
"An externality is that if an effect doesn't have a negative impact on a third party beyond your property boundaries, then you should be free, within certain environmental limits, to do what you want."
Federated Farmers RMA spokesman Mark Hooper said they supported the newly proposed bill that prohibited councils from factoring in greenhouse gas emissions in consenting decisions. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Hooper said the new laws will also mean that, where a council takes a property right away, the council will have to pay compensation for the loss of property value.
"Federated Farmers has always pushed back on councils' overzealous use of overlays like Outstanding Natural Landscapes (ONLs), Significant Natural Areas (SNAs), or Sites and Areas of Significance to Māori (SASMs).
"Farmers who've had a significant and unrelenting loss of property rights from restrictive overlays will be welcoming this news of a stricter regime.
"Hopefully, under this new system, councils will be a lot more judicious about where they place an overlay and, when an overlay is used, the costs are sheeted home to those that receive the benefit."
Federated Farmers also welcomed the shift to national standards, noting the Freshwater Farm Plan system is the ready-to-go standard for farming.
Hooper said the model, introduced by the previous government and amended by the current, was a tool that can replace the need for a resource consent.
"It is a ready-to-go standard for farming with huge buy in from farmers, sector groups, and regional councils."
He said he would be keeping an eye on further detail like what enforcements will be in place for those who breach the rules and ensuring regional voices are included.
