Resource Management Amendment Bill

1. Title

This Act may be cited as the Resource Management Amendment Act 2020.

2. Commencement

This Act comes into force after receiving the Royal Assent.

3. Purpose

The purpose of this Act is to amend the Resource Management Act 1991 to remove restrictions on promoting kaitiakitanga and establish oversight and auditing for local authorities.

4. Principal Act amended

This Act amends the Resource Management Act 1991 (the principal Act).

5. Section 8 amended (Treaty of Waitangi)

Replace “take into account” with “adhere to”.

6. Section 33 amended (Transfer of powers)

(1) Replace “.” with “; and” in subsection (2)(g).

(2) Insert the following after subsection (2)(g):

• (h) a body or partnership established for the purpose of promoting kaitiakitanga; and

• (i) any other entity designated by the Governor-General by Order in Council.

(3) Within subsection (4)(c), insert “where the public authority does not fall under (2)(b) or (2)(h), ” preceding “both”.

7. Section 35A amended (Duty to keep records about iwi and hapu)

Insert the following after subsection (9):

(10) A local authority must, each year, prepare a report to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment which details—

(a) each proposal for the exercise of delegating powers under section 33 or section 36B insofar that it concerns iwi or hapu; and

(b) the rationale for the determination of the local authority in each instance within subsection (a); and

(c) the actions undertaken by the local authority to adhere to section 8.

(11) Each report prepared under subsection (10), and the successive response by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, must be publicly available.

B.310 - Resource Management Amendment Bill was authored by /u/SoSaturnistic (Labour) and is sponsored by the Minister of Māori Affairs, /u/CheerfullyPutrid (Greens), on behalf of the government.

Debate will conclude at 6 PM, 03/09/2020.