Abstract
Over the years concerns with Resource Management Act 1991 relating to its inefficient and ineffective management of natural and physical resources have grown. Much of this criticism emanates from the decentralised administrative arrangements of the RMA which is argued to produce inconsistent, overly complex, and unresponsive district planning documents. It is in this context that central government decided to repeal and replace the Act with its primary replacement of the Natural and Built Environments Act (NBA). The reform represents a significant policy change, that will expand central government influence, increase national and regional standardisation and further the use of independent organisations in the decision-making process, all of which have the potential to diminish the influence of local democratic institutions in the resource management sector.
This research aims to investigate how this increased centralisation and standardisation of planning functions will impact the influence of democratic and local engagement within the resource management sector. A qualitative approach has been adopted to explore this, primarily through a content analysis of local authority submissions to and key informant interviews with planners and civil servants closely associated with components of the proposed reform. The two methods were triangulated to gain a comprehensive understanding of how the reform will impact local democracy and public participation.
This research is one of the first attempts to assess how the resource management reform may impact local democracy. Local authorities are concerned with three primary topics, their future autonomy over governance and policy-making functions, the effects of increased regional and national standardisation and the consequences of centralising decision-making functions under an independent regional Joint Planning Committee. Key Informants noted that while processes included in the NBA reform pose a risk to local democratic governance, their implementation may not necessarily diminish its influence. Through allowing sufficient avenues for local participation, developing flexible policies, and retaining local autonomy over certain resource management functions the reform could balance the need for efficiency while retaining positive elements of local democratic input.
This research has raised concerns for a potential loss of local democratic governance in the resource management sector, however the findings have concluded that this trend is not destined to materialise. The topics discussed in this report will face further scrutiny from the Environment Select Committee and Parliament following its expected introduction to next year (2022). The concerns brought forward from this research will likely be relevant to significant debates that will emerge in the public sphere over the coming months, as these policy decisions will have significant implications for the future role of local government in New Zealand.