Another week, another Government reform announcement, leaving the Ashburton and Selwyn councils with even more to digest and discuss.
By Jonathon Leask of Local Democracy Reporting
Selwyn Mayor Lydia Gliddon said she hopes that RMA reforms "will help us cut red tape, speed up good development, and protect our environment".
"As the fastest growing district in the country, Selwyn needs a planning system that supports timely housing and infrastructure while safeguarding our natural environment.
"These changes offer a real opportunity to deliver faster, clearer decisions and reduce compliance costs without compromising environmental standards.
"We'll take a calm, evidence-based approach and work closely with central government to ensure Selwyn continues to receive the services our growing community needs.
"The council will consider the impacts and opportunities of all the Government reforms across a two-day briefing workshop in January to plan for change in a way that is practical, balanced, and focused on delivering for Selwyn".
Ashburton will be taking a similar approach.
Mayor Liz McMillan said the council is now working through the raft of RMA information released this week.
"There is significant change being proposed for local government."
To help process, the council will be discussing the RMA changes and other recent government announcements at a workshop on Tuesday.
The Government announced it will introduce two new bills to replace the RMA, a Planning Act focused on land use, housing, and infrastructure, and a Natural Environment Act focused on managing environmental impacts, freshwater, and biodiversity.
The plan is for the bills to be passed in Parliament in 2026, and fully operational across the country by around 2029.
The reform aims to simplify and speed up planning and consenting, with many activities to be permitted by default or subject to streamlined or standardised processes — reducing the need for individual resource consents in many cases.
As part of the transition, the Government announced existing resource consents that expire before end of 2027 will be automatically extended to December 31, 2027.
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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