Parliament this month will make the biggest changes in NZ planning and environmental law in a generation with the introduction of a new Planning Act (2026) and Natural Environment Act (2026), which will replace the Resource Management Act (1991).
These reforms will have a huge impact on the work of Council. Today, we had an open workshop to prepare for implementing the new system. Our current Nelson Resource Management Plan was developed in the 1990s, became fully operative in 2004 and has subsequently been amended through more than 30 plan changes. Our new Spatial Plan has to be notified by the middle of 2028 and finalised by early 2029. The new Land-Use and Natural Environment plans need to be notified by late 2029 and finalised by late 2030.
These new plans will set the strategic direction and rules for how the region develops over the next 30 years. Key questions include how much our city should grow out or up for new housing, where to provide for new areas for industry and commerce, how to provide for the infrastructure for growth and how to improve our resilience to risks such as floods, earthquakes, landslides and climate change. The new plans will also set the rules on how we manage water, air and noise pollution and how we protect our natural environment and coast.
Council welcomes the change made last month requiring a single spatial plan for Nelson and Tasman. We sought this change in our submission that I presented to Parliament’s Environment Select Committee in March. The key issues over managing future developments such as housing and infrastructure require a joined-up Nelson-Tasman approach.
The next step is for the Nelson and Tasman councils to come to a process agreement and establish a new Joint Spatial Planning Committee under the new laws. There will also be important opportunities for the public to have input into the new plans.
Replacement of the RMA is overdue and I welcome the change. We have a big responsibility to get our local plans right. They need to be less bureaucratic, better support economic development while protecting the environment and properly plan for the region’s future.
