Level up your evening and join Canterbury Young RMLA for our Mid-Winter Dinner at Dice & Slice!

Canterbury Young RMLA invites you to join us for an evening of gourmet pizza, board games and networking fun.  Whether you're a pizza connoisseur or a board game guru, this event promises a winning combination of flavours and fun.

Please pass this on to any new in career practitioners you think may be interested in attending – all are welcome to attend this free (member-only) event!

Please RSVP before 18 June for catering purposes.  

We look forward to seeing you there!

Lunchtime Webinar: Resource Management (Extended Duration of Coastal Permits for Marine Farms) Amendment Bill and Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Bill

Heads up to members that submissions on the above two Bills are due on 16 June 2024 and 30 June 2024 respectively.  With very short submission periods (just 10 days in the case of the Marine Farms Bill), you may be wondering if you’ve even got time to read the Bills.

RMLA is presenting a short lunchtime webinar, to be presented by past-RMLA President Sally Gepp, that will cover the Bills’ key components. The webinar is likely to be of particular value for members who are interested in law reform affecting marine spatial planning, aquaculture, freshwater policy including Te Mana o Te Wai, significant natural areas or the process for preparing national direction (NESs, NPSs, National Planning Standards, Regulations).

 Grab a sandwich and join Sally for a 45 minute webinar on Wednesday 12 June at 12.30 pm.

How many of us get to the end of the day feeling tired, and we say to ourselves, ‘I can do that tomorrow’. We are doing the same thing to global biodiversity – the variety of wildlife on earth. In just 50 years, global biodiversity has collapsed by 70%. The UN is calling for urgent action saying the collapse is continuing due to a significant shortfall in wildlife investment.  

This webinar, presented by The Otago University Business School, will introduce a promising new finance tool which can help fix this problem. The Biodiversity Investment Contribution (The BIC) is a simple, effective, performance based, non-regulatory way to invest in our children’s future with nature.

This webinar runs at two convenient times on 29 May 2024. Register below to learn how to get involved, what it means for you and how we can initiate meaningful change.

The 2024 NZILA Conference will be held in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington 16-17 May 2024, culminating with the Resene New Zealand Landscape Architecture Awards on the evening of 17 May.

Earlybird registrations are now open! Join them for sharing, learning, networking and celebrating.

Join EDS to celebrate the launch of their latest book. 

Environmental Defenders: Fighting for our natural world tells the story of how the law has been mobilised to protect some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most precious places. Featuring major environmental battles of the past half century, the book provides an insider’s account of how a small group of lawyers and scientists, under the EDS banner, took on the might of the government and development interests to secure important wins on behalf of the environment.

Written by Raewyn Peart, EDS’s Policy Director, the book contains much material that has not previously seen the light of day. You can pre-purchase a copy of the book when you book your ticket, and books will be available to purchase on the night.

There is no charge to attend but registration is essential. Please secure your place by COB Friday 3 May.

Auckland - Tuesday 7 May 2024 - 5.15pm - 7.30pm - Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS), 181 Westhaven Drive, Westhaven Marina, Auckland

Wellington - Thursday 9 May 2024 - 5.15pm - 7.30pm Bell Gully, Level 4/40 - Lady Elizabeth Lane, Pipitea, Wellington

Following the Government’s announcement of a new direction for resource management and planning legislation, the Environmental Policy & Law Reform Conference is a high-level event that will provide all of the key updates and analysis on what is expected from the reform.

• Explore the new Coalition Government's vision for resource management for environmental protection

• Learn about plans for the introduction of a new fast-track consenting regime

• Hear a broad range of expert and industry perspectives on the proposed changes and new system vision

• Examine the role of the proposed changes in improving infrastructure planning and consenting

• Understand other additional changes to environmental policy and regulation: Freshwater, climate, biodiversity

Can't make it to Wellington? Virtual Ticket Option Available from $899+gst

In January this year the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment put out a think piece entitled ‘Rethinking the RMA: the need for enduring reform’. This questioned whether the RMA had failed, commented on the role of local government, argued that the environment needs to be at the centre of any reform and promoted a cross party approach.

In another year where RM reform will dominate a lot of our professional discussions, the Wellington branches of the RMLA and NZPI have invited Rebecca Thornley from the PCE’s office to speak to us about this think piece.

Rebecca is the General Counsel for the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. Rebecca is a public law expert, with extensive experience in law reform, having provided legal support to various public service agencies including NZDF, Public Service Commission, DPMC and the Crown Law Office.  

Free event but seating is limited. Registrations close 11 April 2024.

CPD available: 1 hour

RMLA & NZPI Bay of Plenty