As a homeowner, if you want to add another bedroom to your house or build a retaining wall, right now you might have to read the regional policy statement, the regional plan, and then your local council’s plan and figure out how they fit together. What a nightmare.
That is one reason why the National Government is reforming the Resource Management Act. We will insist every council simplifies the rules into one document.
By providing clear national direction on issues of importance across New Zealand, we will allow communities to focus their energy and resources more effectively.
Making councils act decisively and get on with implementing plans once they are in force will create certainty for communities and applicants about what they can and can’t do.
It’s about making the process easier and fairer, while remembering the Act’s purpose of protecting our treasured environment.
