Resource Legislation Amendments passed into law
Resource Legislation Amendments passed into law
The Government’s overhaul of the resource legislation was passed into law on 6 April 2017 with the support of the Māori Party. The key changes to resource law were set out in our article that can be viewed here. These changes have now been passed into law, with amendments through two Supplementary Order Papers (which are proposed amendments to a bill).
Marama Fox’s Supplementary Order Paper[1] amended the provisions that would have, subject to certain conditions, allowed an activity involving a hazardous substance or new organism to be a permitted activity by a national environmental standard. It also excluded the power of the Minister to prohibit or remove rules if they regulate the growing of crops that are genetically modified organisms. This would allow regional authorities to declare areas GE-free, without being overridden by the Minister.
Hon Nick Smith’s Supplementary Order Paper[2] amended a range of aspects of the Resource Legislation Amendment Bill including:
- The commencement date of amendments to the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act 2012 come into force on 1 June 2017;
- By introducing a range of technical changes to the Resource Management Act 1991; and
- By amending a range of other provisions some of which relate to notification requirements, decommissioning plan requirements and clauses in Schedule 1.
Want to know more?
If you have any questions about these changes then please contact our specialist Resource Management Team.
PDF version: Resource legislation amendments passed into law