Resource Management Act 1991

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Resource Management Act 1991
Parliament of New Zealand
Long title:	An Act to restate and reform the law relating to the use of land, air, and water.
Introduced by:
Dates
Date passed:	22 July 1991
Date of Royal Assent:
Commencement:	1 October 1991
Other legislation
Amendments:	1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
Related legislation:
Status: Current legislation

The Resource Management Act (RMA) is a significant, and at times, controversial Act of Parliament passed in 1991 in New Zealand. The Act controls the use of land, air and water and attempts to minimise the environmental effects of human activity.

1 Effect on other legislation
2 Opinions on the RMA
3 External links
4 Further reading

[edit] Effect on other legislation

The enactment of the RMA had an effect on a large amount of Acts, regulations and orders.

A total of 69 Acts and amended Acts were repealed. (See RMA Sixth Schedule)
Nineteen regulations and orders were revoked (Seventh Schedule)

The RMA requires the application for a resource consent for any activities that relate to resource use. As part of a resource consent an Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE), a report on the Environmental Impact Assessment, is required.

[edit] Opinions on the RMA

Proponents of the RMA argue that it ensures the sustainable use of resources for the foreseeable needs of the present and future generation, and also recognises the importance of indigenous rights in the mitigation process. In this respect, the RMA is a pioneering act in the area of sustainable development.

Critics of the act argue that the resource management process is a barrier to investment, being unpredictable, expensive, protracted and often subject to undue influence from local lobby groups. Other critics point out that the Act is destructive of property rights, and at its heart contains concepts so nebulous as to make them legally indefinable.

The Act has regularly made headlines since its introduction, receiving the blame for the failure of a number of high profile projects. New Zealand environmental lobby groups claim that about 95% of all resource consents are granted.

[edit] External links

New Zealand Government legislation - text of the Act.
Ministry for the Environment - guide to preparing an AEE.
RMAlink - community RMA information resource.
rma.net Court Decisions under Resource Management Act.
[1] - 'It's Time to Drive a Stake Through the Heart of the RMA,' a four-page PDF critique of the Act.