We support simplifying local government; however, the details must work for communities, not against them.
We question whether the proposed Combined Territories Boards will truly deliver integrated regional decision-making, warning they could create conflicting roles for mayors and increase costs to ratepayers. We back proportional voting in principle, but think relying on population alone risks smaller rural areas being outvoted, and instead recommend a model that also reflects geographic size and complexity.
We are open to regional reorganisation but argue that existing unitary authorities should not be compelled to produce new plans and that reform costs should not fall unfairly on ratepayers or further lessen Māori participation in decision-making.
The Government is seeking feedback on a proposed national cap on council rate increases linked to CPI and GDP.
We do not support the proposed assumption-based model, as it fails to reflect the real cost pressures individual councils face and risks undermining long-term community wellbeing.
Our submission stresses that the cap assumes a steady-state environment and does not account for major non-business-as-usual drivers such as climate impacts, ageing infrastructure, higher regulatory requirements, and the need to build community resilience.
We asked them to reconsider how any cap is designed so it properly reflects these realities, and excludes fees and charges, three waters and emergency management.
Read Tasman's Planning and Natural Environment Bills submission (pdf 1 MB).
Our submission highlights that these reforms will significantly reshape how decisions are made about land use, housing, infrastructure, freshwater, the coast, rural production and natural hazards in Tasman.
As a unitary authority, we are concerned that splitting planning and environmental functions across two Acts could undermine the integrated system in which it currently operates.
Key themes include the need for clear and timely national direction, realistic timeframes and resourcing, better alignment between spatial planning, environmental limits and consenting, strong arrangements for iwi and Treaty settlements, and flexibility to reflect local science, hazards and community priorities. Tasman acknowledges the submissions of Te Uru Kahika and Taituarā.
Submissions will be publicly released and published to the Parliament website.
What happens next?
In summary Tasman’s submission appears to have had influence across key aspects to the proposed legislation.
Ministerial Intervention Safeguards: A mandatory investigation before ministerial intervention was adopted, ensuring local context is considered before directives are issued.
Consent Process Improvements: Retrospective powers to return stalled or incomplete consent applications were included, reflecting Tasman’s push to reduce administrative backlog.
Compliance Cost Recovery: Our support for recovering costs of monitoring and enforcement for permitted activities is now enabled through amended section 36.
Recognition of Compliance History: The Bill now requires consent applicants to declare prior non-compliance—an idea supported by Tasman to improve accountability.
Freshwater Farm Plan Thresholds: New national thresholds (e.g., 50+ hectares for many land uses; mandatory for all dairy operations) reflect Tasman’s advocacy for clarity and risk-based requirements.
Reduced Certification Burden: Our concerns around low-risk farming activities led to provisions allowing more targeted freshwater farm plan certification and audit requirements.
Protection of Hearing Rights: Opposition to removing applicant and submitter hearing rights was acknowledged, leading to the Committee backtracking on this proposal.
The Bill is now expected to swiftly complete its parliamentary journey and become law later this year.
Read the Committee's report. (pdf 629 KB)
Tasman District Council’s submission on the Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill recognises that the Bill is attempting to improve certain aspects of the current system that are overly cumbersome and complex and overall, Tasman supports many of the proposed changes - especially those that improve compliance, monitoring and enforcement mechanisms and some consent processing provisions that aim to improve consenting efficiency and cost recovery.
Council’s submission to the "Making it easier to build granny flats" discussion document addressed its qualified support, Tasman’s growth and housing affordability, the medium-term housing capacity shortfall and, ageing population changing household and demand for smaller dwellings.
Read the submission here (pdf 420 KB).
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Ministry for the Environment sought feedback on options to make it easier to build small, self-contained and detached houses, commonly known as ‘granny flats’ on property with an existing home on it.
Read about the consultation and the discussion document here.
Council’s submission on the Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Bill was lodged by the due date of 30 June 2024. The submission was prepared by Charlotte Sunde, Kathie Fletcher, and Barry Johnson in consultation with key staff, Mayor King, and Councillor Maling. The limited time available for public submissions has restricted a full and comprehensive review of the Bill across Council.
Read the submission here. (pdf 197 KB)
Mayor Tim King’s talking points for Council’s oral submission to Parliament’s Primary Production Committee
Tasman recognises the Bill’s attempt to improve national direction process, enabling government to be more responsive. Having the ability to make quick minor changes could be beneficial to our regions if regulations remain current and abreast of best practice. The Bill however has missed many opportunities to design and deliver improvements for all resource management matters affected by the Bill.
September 2024
MBIE have summarised the submissions received during consultation on the Draft Minerals Strategy.
There were 102 submissions from a range of submitters. Most of the submissions came from individuals, consultants, and business owners (28% of submissions), minerals industry participants or groups/bodies (21%), and environmental and community groups (16%). 96% of submitters are broadly supportive of developing a plan to manage the future of mining in New Zealand with various forms of suggested changes, while 4% did not support the strategy in its entirety.
Six central themes were distilled from the submissions:
MBIE are currently using the insights from submissions to revise the strategy. Once revised, the strategy will be presented to Cabinet and will be finalised before the end of the year.
Read the summary on the MBIE website: Summary of submissions on draft minerals strategy to 2040
May 2024
MBIE is developing a Minerals Strategy for New Zealand to 2040 to enable us to take a long-term, strategic approach to how we develop our mineral resources. This does not include petroleum which already has an advanced regulatory regime.
The strategy is built on three key pillars:
It identifies specific actions the Government could take to position the minerals sector to deliver value in an environmentally responsible manner.
Fast-track Approvals Bill as reported from the Environment Committee
The Environment Committee has examined the Fast-track Approvals Bill and recommends that it be passed. It recommends all amendments by majority.
Read the report here: Fast-track Approvals Bill 31-2 (2024), Government Bill – New Zealand Legislation
Background
Council’s submission on the Fast-track Approvals Bill 2024 was lodged by the due date of 19 April 2024. The submission was prepared by Kathie Fletcher and Barry Johnson in consultation with key staff, Mayor King, and Councillor Maling (Chair of Strategy & Policy committee).
The limited time available for public submissions has restricted a full and comprehensive review of the Bill across Council.
Council’s main concerns centre on the elevated Ministerial discretionary powers, the diminished priority for environmental protection measures, the increased burden on local authorities for compliance, the lack of definition on what constitutes national and regional significance, 10- day timeframes, process not aligned to local authority servicing needs, and limited appeal rights.
Tasman District Council presented on Fast-Track Approvals Bill
Parliament’s Environment Committee took an oral presentation from the council on 14 June 2024, in support of its submission.
Council’s primary concerns are the bill as proposed gives Ministers too much control, weakens environmental protections, puts more work on local councils, doesn't clearly define what's important nationally or regionally, imposes tight deadlines, creates a process that doesn't work well for councils, and restricts appeals.
Council is dedicated to supporting a community that flourishes environmentally, culturally, socially, and economically. Our vision is that of a resilient Tasman where both our built surroundings and natural world are managed for the benefit of all, today and for generations to come.
Read the our submission in full here (pdf 348 KB).
Watch a recording of the presentation to the Environment Committee.
Read the submission talking points. (pdf 133 KB) Scroll down for main concerns, council’s role and process improvements.
To establish a ‘one stop shop’ regime to process approvals faster for regionally and nationally significant infrastructure and development projects.
The Bill proposes a new mechanism for Public Works Act 1981 processes and to fast-track:
Projects will become eligible for fast track through either a referral by the joint decision of the Ministers of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Transport upon an application, or by being listed as a project in Schedule 2A of the Bill.
The Government will be establishing a Fast Track Advisory Group of independent experts to provide advice to Ministers on what projects should be included in the legislation. Cabinet will decide on the projects to be inserted into the schedules of the Bill through the select committee process.
Council in November 2023 made a submission to the Proposed National Policy Statement for Natural Hazard Decision Making. This is a first step from central government to provide additional support for local government to manage risks to people and property from natural hazards such as floods, landslides, and coastal inundation.
Our towns and rural communities are vulnerable to a range of natural hazards, which will be further exacerbated by climate change including sea level rise. Natural hazard events impact on our environmental, social, cultural, and economic wellbeing and community recovery can take years. Recent examples of natural hazard events that have affected our Tasman communities include Cyclone Fehi and Cyclone Gita (both February 2018), Pigeon Valley fire (February 2019), and the Nelson-Tasman rainfall event (August 2022).
We strongly encourage central government to continue to engage with councils on the development of this NPS to ensure this national direction is workable and takes into consideration local circumstances.
Read both the proposed NPS for Natural Hazard Decision Making and the council’s response.
Proposed National Policy Statement for Natural Hazard Decision-making - Ministry for the Environment
Tasman District Council Submission NPS-NHD - 17 November 2023.pdf (pdf 300 KB)
Council made a further submission to the Environment Committee on the development of a fair and enduring adaptation framework for Aotearoa New Zealand.
Read the details here.
Key to this submission was the reframing of Climate Change as an opportunity. Instead of focusing solely on the immediate threats, systems thinking encourages us to see the potential for transformative change. For instance, transitioning to a green economy can create new jobs, spur technological advancements, and enhance energy security. Moreover, it prompts us to leverage synergies, such as how improving urban green spaces can reduce carbon footprints while enhancing community health and well-being.
Read the submission here:
Climate Adaptation Inquiry and Framework (pdf 412 KB)
Submissions closed 16 June 2024 and this page will be updated with the Committee hearing times once they are made public.
The Environment Committee Komiti Whiriwhiri Take Taiao initiated an inquiry into climate adaptation andin doing so called for public submissions.
The inquiry in supporting communities facing climate change wanted to understand how to incorporate lessons from the past, share responsibility with the private sector and incorporate traditional knowledge (matauranga Māori) and perspectives (te ao Māori) into adaptation plans.
In its submission to the Inquiry the Council emphasized the importance of ongoing collaboration between central and local governments and relationships with organizations like Taituarā and LGNZ to ensure a unified approach across government and within communities.
Read the submission here:
TDC submission on Inquiry into climate adaptation.pdf (pdf 408 KB)
In June 2023 Tasman District Council made the following submission to the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment in response to their call for submissions on strengthening national direction on renewable electricity generation and electricity transmission.
Read the Tasman District Council submission (pdf 222 KB) on the proposed amendments to the National Policy Statement on Renewable Electricity Generation, the proposed amendments to the National Policy Statement on Electricity Transmission and the proposed new National Environmental Standards for Renewable Electricity Generation.
Read more about the consultation: Consenting improvements for renewable electricity generation and transmission | Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment
In November 2022 Tasman District Council made the following submission to the Ministry for Primary Industries and the the Ministry for the Environment in response to their call for feedback on the national direction for plantation and exotic carbon afforestation.
In November 2022, Council made the following submission regarding the recommendations about AEP made by He Waka Eke Noa.
Read our submission. (pdf 182 KB)
Read more about He Waka Eke Noa, Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership.
Below is the Council’s October 2019 submission on changes proposed by the Ministry for the Environment in their Action for Health Waterways discussion document. The changes include:
Read the Tasman District Council submission on the Essential Freshwater Package. (pdf 1.5 MB)
Below is the Council’s October 2019 submission on changes proposed by the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry for Housing and Urban Development to replace the current National Policy Statement for Urban Development Capacity with a new National Policy Statement.
Below is the Council’s October 2019 submission on proposals by the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry for Primary Industries for a National Policy Statement on Highly Productive Land.
Read the Tasman District Council submission on the Proposed National Policy Statement on Highly Productive Land (pdf 737 KB) (pdf 1.1 MB)
Read the cover letter (pdf 203 KB)
Read the Government’s proposals for a Proposed National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land
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