Te Whakaminenga-o-Kāpiti - RMA Submission
Thu 14 May 2009: Te Whakaminenga-o-Kāpiti - RMA Submission
Te Whakaminenga-o-Kāpiti have submitted their comments to the select committees of Local Government and Environment regarding the proposed changes to the RMA 1991. A summary of TWoK concerns are as follows:
“In 1991, the Resource Management Act 1991 (“the Act”) when introduced in 1991 the RMA replaced 69 other acts and was obviously intended to create a more consistent and efficient process. The Act’s primary intent is that the best outcomes for sustainable management are achieved when the public has the ability to participate in decision making processes. The RMA is the main way that ordinary New Zealanders can have a say in how our resources and environment are managed.
While the review of the Act aims to speed up the consent and planning processes, it does this in a way that makes it harder for New Zealanders to have their say and prevent damage to the environment. We are concerned that this is a backward step for both the sustainable management of our natural resources, and community participation in decisions that affect tāngata whenua and the wider community. Tāngata whenua will have specific concerns in their role as kaitiaki. This role also covers a responsibility to defend the ability of people living within the rohe of each iwi to participate in resource management matters.
We ask the committee to acknowledge that the timeframes for consultation the draft Bill have been unreasonably tight, thereby greatly reducing our ability to obtain comment from a wider cross section of iwi. Many groups have had at the most minimal opportunity to participate in this process”, (23 March 2009, “ Submissions to the Resource Management Amendment Bill 2009”, Te Whakaminenga-o-Kāpiti).
To View the full document download the following pdf: Submission Of Resource Management Ammendment Bill (Simplifying And Streamlining)
For further information on the proposed changes and information in general about the RMA, go to RMA pages
