First draft of RMA replacement released

A first draft of the proposed law that will replace the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) has been released by the Government.

Environment Minister David Parker said an exposure draft outlining key aspects of the Natural and Built Environments Act (NBA) will be presented to Parliament and then referred to a select committee inquiry.

Covering land use and environmental regulation, the NBA is the primary replacement for the RMA which the Government has promised to repeal and replace.

An exposure draft of a Bill is one that is put out for stakeholder and public feedback before it is introduced to the House.

This process is intended to test and improve the contents of the Bill before it goes into the formal Parliamentary process.

The select committee inquiry is expected to run for about three months and the public will be invited to make submissions on the exposure draft of the new Bill during this time.

The exposure draft for the NBA includes:

• the purpose of the NBA (including Te Tiriti o Waitangi clause) and related provisions
• the National Planning Framework
• Natural and Built Environments plans.

The exposure draft and explanatory material is available here