Government to clarify discharge consenting

Clarifications to discharge consenting provisions in the Resource Management Act will provide certainty for agricultural and horticultural producers, making sure councils continue to manage discharge consents in a practical way.

Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says recent High Court decisions on sections 70 and 107 of the Resource Management Act (RMA) threaten to make the law unworkable by reducing councils’ ability to manage discharges from a range of activities.

Cabinet has agreed to make time critical amendments to section 107 of the RMA so that councils and consent applicants have legal clarity, and the certainty they need to plan ahead.