Eric Crampton: Wine, bottles, and Resource Management Reform

Last week, the government released the first parts of its proposed overhaul of the resource management system. If passed into law, the Natural and Built Environment Bill will, over a transition period, replace the Resource Management Act. The Spatial Planning Bill would shift planning up from local councils to new regional planning committees.

The existing Resource Management Act is not fit for purpose. It fails to deliver satisfactory environmental outcomes. At the same time, district plans set under the RMA have made it far too difficult to get housing built.