February 27, 2017
RMA reform package in final stages
A select committee report on changes to the Resource Management Act is due to be tabled in parliament today, but the Government is still in talks with the Maori Party about what needs to change for it to pass.
Environment Minister Nick Smith told the Blue Greens Conference at the weekend he expects the bill to pass next month.
It has been held up because the Government has failed to win over its support parties, but the Maori Party is now willing to give it the votes it needs.
In exchange it wants iwi to have more say in environmental and planning decisions.
It also wants to scale back the ability of the Minister for the Environment to override local government decision-making on such issues as genetically modified organisms.
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