Court of Appeal decision in Wairoa confirms judicial restraint when reviewing rating decisions

On 14 March 2024, Local Government New Zealand issued a media release projecting an average rise in rates of 15per cent according to draft long-term plans across 48 councils.

The road to reform: Natural and Built Environment Act and Spatial Planning Act given Royal Assent. What does this mean now?

It has been a long and winding road, but the Government has achieved its aspirations to reform the resource management system in New Zealand. The replacement legislation, the Natural and Built Environment Act (NBEA) and the Spatial Planning Act (SPA) was given Royal Assent on 23 August 2023.

The road to reform: Environment Select Committee releases its reports on the Natural and Built Environment Bill and Spatial Planning Bill

On 27 June 2023, the Environment Committee presented its reports on the Natural and Built Environment Bill (NBE Bill) and Spatial Planning Bill to Parliament. The Bills will repeal and reform New Zealand’s environmental law, currently enshrined in the Resource Management Act 1991.

To help with your watercooler chat, this article contains our five key takeaways from the Committee’s report on the NBE Bill.

Freshwater Farm Plans: what you need to know

A key part of the Government's Essential Freshwater 2020 package was the proposal to improve farm practices by requiring all farmers have a farm plan with a freshwater module (known as Freshwater Farm Plans or FW-FPs). The idea was that FW-FPs would help farmers understand the unique environmental issues on their properties and respond accordingly.

Nearly 3 years on, the Resource Management (Freshwater Farm Plans) Regulations 2023 (Regulations) have been published. The Regulations detail the requirements for farmers and regional councils in preparing, certifying and auditing FW-FPs. The following provides a high-level summary of the requirements for FW-FPs, along with our initial impressions of the likely effectiveness of the tool.

The Severe Weather Emergency Act – amendments with unexpected consequences

The Severe Weather Emergency Legislation Act 2023 (the Act) was passed into law on 20 March 2023, just six days after its introduction to the House. In the time between our last update and the passing of the Act, some small but important amendments were made...

Streamlining Cyclone Hale and Gabrielle recovery

The new Severe Emergency Legislation Bill is a pragmatic response from the Government to regions that are struggling not only with the recovery from severe weather events but also the paperwork that comes with it. Alice Balme explains...