February 8, 2026 • 9 mins
In this DairyNZ Update, Michelle talks to David Cooper, a DairyNZ principal policy advisor about the reforms being made by Government to the RMA, and local government act, and how DairyNZ are working with farmers to make sure their voices are heard.
To find out more about the RMA and local government reform and how it may affect farming, go to www.dairynz.co.nz or Ministry of the Environment website.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to another interview in a special interview series on
The Country Podcast with darien Z. I'm your host Michelle Watt,
and today we're discussing the ROMA reforms with David Cooper,
a darien Z Principal policy advisor. Welcome David, Thanks Michelle.
Right well, crack into it and give everyone a bit
of a refresher. The government is looking to reform the
Resource Management Act and local government acts. Can you provide
(00:23):
a bit of an overview of what's being proposed.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Yes, So there are two incredibly important processes and obviously
in parallel, so the Government of proposing to replace the
Resource Management Act, which has been around for over thirty years,
with two new bills, the Planning Bill and the Natural
Environment Bill. And at the same time they're also putting
out a discussion document to discuss how local government reform
(00:50):
should occur across all of the regions. So both really important,
two separate related processes in that the replacement legislation for
the RAM will drive what regional councils have to do,
Regional government will have to respond to the responsibilities they're
given through the RMA.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
And darien Z's position on some of these proposals. What
are they well.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
To be honest, we're quite concerned with those replacement bills,
So a number of potential for shops in there. The
first is that they don't really make a clear pathway
for permitted activities, which are basically the best mechanism for
managing low risk activities on farms. What they're effectively saying
in the current drafting is that that if you're in
(01:33):
an overallocated catchment, you shouldn't be able to have a
permitted activity, and that is not the intent of the ministers.
We can see what the ministers are intending, we just
don't think that's reflected in the current drafting. There's also
a number of other new issues that are coming through.
The first is the introduction of a wider range of
(01:54):
market mechanisms for allocation of resources, and the second is
the instruction of potential levies on resource use. Now, what
we are saying to government is there might be value
in having these tools, but you need to defer them
for a couple of years until we've had a chance
(02:14):
to discuss them, getting understanding what it's going to mean
and the implications for farmers.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
And again it's an issue where you can.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
See the ministerial intent, but it's not delivered in the drafting.
They've got a new tool called action plans which regional
councils can use where they do need.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
To address overlocation.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Ministerial intent team seems to be that catchment groups and
catchment plans will be considered before we go down.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
That regulatory pathway.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
But what the drafting effectively does is give regional councils
a whole heap of new regulatory tools to step in,
and that includes calling in consents. So that is obviously
not a non regulatory pathway which farmers looking for. It's
very much a regulatory approach which.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Is quite.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Has potential to really impact farmers, particularly of consents going
to be called in.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Now you're on the farmer's corner on this one, aren't you.
So you're representing farmers with views and their concerns towards
these proposals. So how are you working with farmers and
their concerns to make sure that it gets across with
these new plans.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
So we've had a couple of payer online heavy payer
meetings and we had some decent attendance on those. We're
also working across the primary sector on some of those
care issues.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
So ministers have been.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Very clear that they know that there is some panel
beating needed to this legislation, but they they also want
one solution from the primary sect that they don't want
multiple solutions because that'll be easier to implement. And we're
also working closely with our board who have been providing
feedback to us throughout this process just to make sure
(03:57):
that we are affecting our bad would want, but also
the conversations that they're having with farmers as well.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
So what is darien Z's position on the proposals from government?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
So at the moment, the Local Government Form is basically
a consult consultation document where they're saying, look, this is
our high level approach to what we think should happen
in replacement of local government.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Effectively, what they're saying.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Is they want to replace get rid of regional council
laws and then replace those regional council law functions with
community Territories boards made up of local city and district
council mayors. Our position on that is we don't think
(04:45):
district council mayors have the capacity or in fact the
understanding or mandate to drive reform at the regional level.
So what we are seeking is some sort of middle
ground where you're still acquiring regionals councils, district councils, city
councils to go through a process of defining how they
(05:07):
think regional government should be reorganized within their regions, but
still retaining regional councilors to be involved in those combined
territories boards so that they have some say in what
it's going to look like as well. But fundamentally, I
think we support the idea that regional government needs to
be regional government needs to be reformed, and I think
(05:30):
there's wide agreement. We've got too many councilors. We just
it needs to be done in a proper way. It
needs to have regional level discussion, and that includes the
people who have been elected to represent rural interest.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
I guess too, it's knowing the importance of farming and
a regional community as well cities. They don't kind of
understand that. I think most people now know where their
food comes from. People get that, but I don't think
they really understand the power and how much it means
to have farming doing well in a region.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
That's one hundred percent correct.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
And if you're sitting in a region that has a
large city council and a lot of large population based
within the city, it's easy to get disconnected from food
to production and rule issues. So it is really important
to have that sort of regional representation. And it's also
an understanding of resource management the legislation, what regional councils
(06:25):
will be required to do and have been required to do,
and what that might mean. So that's again where the
two reforms come together. The first is you know, you've
got the resource management which will drive regional council functions,
and you've got that local government reform discussion which will
drive the shape of regional councils and what they're expected to.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Do and how and what are some of the just
thinking about some of the biggest questions. What are you
being asked by farmers about these RIMA changes and regional
changes to government? Are farmers asking a lot of questions?
Speaker 2 (06:58):
They really are, which is good because resource management reform
particularly is this comprehensive chunk of legislation. So I think
the proposed new bills cover over seven hundred pages.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
So the key issues have been driven by the likes
of deuriency and be from the set's.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Coming in and saying this is a real problem. We
understand ministerial intent, but this is a real problem and
pointing to those key pop problems within the legislation. So
we're getting a lot of farmer concern around what it's
going to mean and whether.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
They will get the opportunity to have.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
A say, given that the reform process isn't bet o
here over the next few months.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
And I guess we can't live the same way forever.
You're saying at the start of our conversation that the
ROMA hasn't been looked at in thirty years. It does
need to change, right, Yeah, I should.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Create myself on that. The previous Labor government.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Introduced a couple of bass of legislation that was then
gotten rid of by the existing government.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
So it has been looked.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
At, and in fact, that's one really important point is
that it's been looked at for over a decade, so
there's been a lot of discussion around what good looks like.
It's just putting it into specific drafting and that's the
point where we're at now. So it does need to
be reformed. There are a huge heap of issues and
I think is broad agreement that there needs to be
fundamental change.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
It's just once you.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Get down to the drafting, what does that actually look like?
And that's where we're at the phase. We're at the
phase now where we're looking at the implications of this drafting,
this very chunky we're just sort of drafting and what
do the means for farmers on the ground.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Farmers want to find out more about the proposals and
how it could affect them on a farm. Where do
they go? Who can they ask?
Speaker 2 (08:38):
I think if you go to the darien Z website,
but also the Beef and lamb website, irrigation news on
all of those primary sect the bodies will have information
up on their websites. I think also the Ministery for
the Environment, so they farmers get the ability to submit
to the Ministry Environment and submissions close on the Resource
(08:58):
Management reform on the thirteenth of February.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
So not too far away.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
But if you go to the industry body websites, look
at the key issues and then go to the MF
website and provide some thoughts on those issues. I think
that's a good way to have a voice in terms
of the local government reform. Submissions on the proposal close
on the twentieth of February and very much the same
if you check out the primev sector bodies websites, have
(09:26):
a look at the key issues and the links, and
then have a say on what you think needs to happen.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Within your region.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Thanks David. That was David Cooper, a principal policy advisor
at darien Z, discussing the RIMA reforms proposed by government.
If you would like to find out more about the
ROMA reforms, go to darienz dot com or the Ministry
for the Environment website.
Welcome to another interview in a special interview series on
The Country Podcast with darien Z. I'm your host Michelle Watt,
and today we're discussing the ROMA reforms with David Cooper,
a darien Z Principal policy advisor. Welcome David, Thanks Michelle.
Right well, crack into it and give everyone a bit
of a refresher. The government is looking to reform the
Resource Management Act and local government acts. Can you provide
(00:23):
a bit of an overview of what's being proposed.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Yes, So there are two incredibly important processes and obviously
in parallel, so the Government of proposing to replace the
Resource Management Act, which has been around for over thirty years,
with two new bills, the Planning Bill and the Natural
Environment Bill. And at the same time they're also putting
out a discussion document to discuss how local government reform
(00:50):
should occur across all of the regions. So both really important,
two separate related processes in that the replacement legislation for
the RAM will drive what regional councils have to do,
Regional government will have to respond to the responsibilities they're
given through the RMA.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
And darien Z's position on some of these proposals. What
are they well.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
To be honest, we're quite concerned with those replacement bills,
So a number of potential for shops in there. The
first is that they don't really make a clear pathway
for permitted activities, which are basically the best mechanism for
managing low risk activities on farms. What they're effectively saying
in the current drafting is that that if you're in
(01:33):
an overallocated catchment, you shouldn't be able to have a
permitted activity, and that is not the intent of the ministers.
We can see what the ministers are intending, we just
don't think that's reflected in the current drafting. There's also
a number of other new issues that are coming through.
The first is the introduction of a wider range of
(01:54):
market mechanisms for allocation of resources, and the second is
the instruction of potential levies on resource use. Now, what
we are saying to government is there might be value
in having these tools, but you need to defer them
for a couple of years until we've had a chance
(02:14):
to discuss them, getting understanding what it's going to mean
and the implications for farmers.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
And again it's an issue where you can.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
See the ministerial intent, but it's not delivered in the drafting.
They've got a new tool called action plans which regional
councils can use where they do need.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
To address overlocation.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Ministerial intent team seems to be that catchment groups and
catchment plans will be considered before we go down.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
That regulatory pathway.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
But what the drafting effectively does is give regional councils
a whole heap of new regulatory tools to step in,
and that includes calling in consents. So that is obviously
not a non regulatory pathway which farmers looking for. It's
very much a regulatory approach which.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Is quite.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Has potential to really impact farmers, particularly of consents going
to be called in.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Now you're on the farmer's corner on this one, aren't you.
So you're representing farmers with views and their concerns towards
these proposals. So how are you working with farmers and
their concerns to make sure that it gets across with
these new plans.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
So we've had a couple of payer online heavy payer
meetings and we had some decent attendance on those. We're
also working across the primary sector on some of those
care issues.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
So ministers have been.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Very clear that they know that there is some panel
beating needed to this legislation, but they they also want
one solution from the primary sect that they don't want
multiple solutions because that'll be easier to implement. And we're
also working closely with our board who have been providing
feedback to us throughout this process just to make sure
(03:57):
that we are affecting our bad would want, but also
the conversations that they're having with farmers as well.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
So what is darien Z's position on the proposals from government?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
So at the moment, the Local Government Form is basically
a consult consultation document where they're saying, look, this is
our high level approach to what we think should happen
in replacement of local government.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Effectively, what they're saying.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Is they want to replace get rid of regional council
laws and then replace those regional council law functions with
community Territories boards made up of local city and district
council mayors. Our position on that is we don't think
(04:45):
district council mayors have the capacity or in fact the
understanding or mandate to drive reform at the regional level.
So what we are seeking is some sort of middle
ground where you're still acquiring regionals councils, district councils, city
councils to go through a process of defining how they
(05:07):
think regional government should be reorganized within their regions, but
still retaining regional councilors to be involved in those combined
territories boards so that they have some say in what
it's going to look like as well. But fundamentally, I
think we support the idea that regional government needs to
be regional government needs to be reformed, and I think
(05:30):
there's wide agreement. We've got too many councilors. We just
it needs to be done in a proper way. It
needs to have regional level discussion, and that includes the
people who have been elected to represent rural interest.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
I guess too, it's knowing the importance of farming and
a regional community as well cities. They don't kind of
understand that. I think most people now know where their
food comes from. People get that, but I don't think
they really understand the power and how much it means
to have farming doing well in a region.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
That's one hundred percent correct.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
And if you're sitting in a region that has a
large city council and a lot of large population based
within the city, it's easy to get disconnected from food
to production and rule issues. So it is really important
to have that sort of regional representation. And it's also
an understanding of resource management the legislation, what regional councils
(06:25):
will be required to do and have been required to do,
and what that might mean. So that's again where the
two reforms come together. The first is you know, you've
got the resource management which will drive regional council functions,
and you've got that local government reform discussion which will
drive the shape of regional councils and what they're expected to.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Do and how and what are some of the just
thinking about some of the biggest questions. What are you
being asked by farmers about these RIMA changes and regional
changes to government? Are farmers asking a lot of questions?
Speaker 2 (06:58):
They really are, which is good because resource management reform
particularly is this comprehensive chunk of legislation. So I think
the proposed new bills cover over seven hundred pages.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
So the key issues have been driven by the likes
of deuriency and be from the set's.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Coming in and saying this is a real problem. We
understand ministerial intent, but this is a real problem and
pointing to those key pop problems within the legislation. So
we're getting a lot of farmer concern around what it's
going to mean and whether.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
They will get the opportunity to have.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
A say, given that the reform process isn't bet o
here over the next few months.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
And I guess we can't live the same way forever.
You're saying at the start of our conversation that the
ROMA hasn't been looked at in thirty years. It does
need to change, right, Yeah, I should.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Create myself on that. The previous Labor government.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Introduced a couple of bass of legislation that was then
gotten rid of by the existing government.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
So it has been looked.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
At, and in fact, that's one really important point is
that it's been looked at for over a decade, so
there's been a lot of discussion around what good looks like.
It's just putting it into specific drafting and that's the
point where we're at now. So it does need to
be reformed. There are a huge heap of issues and
I think is broad agreement that there needs to be
fundamental change.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
It's just once you.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Get down to the drafting, what does that actually look like?
And that's where we're at the phase. We're at the
phase now where we're looking at the implications of this drafting,
this very chunky we're just sort of drafting and what
do the means for farmers on the ground.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Farmers want to find out more about the proposals and
how it could affect them on a farm. Where do
they go? Who can they ask?
Speaker 2 (08:38):
I think if you go to the darien Z website,
but also the Beef and lamb website, irrigation news on
all of those primary sect the bodies will have information
up on their websites. I think also the Ministery for
the Environment, so they farmers get the ability to submit
to the Ministry Environment and submissions close on the Resource
(08:58):
Management reform on the thirteenth of February.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
So not too far away.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
But if you go to the industry body websites, look
at the key issues and then go to the MF
website and provide some thoughts on those issues. I think
that's a good way to have a voice in terms
of the local government reform. Submissions on the proposal close
on the twentieth of February and very much the same
if you check out the primev sector bodies websites, have
(09:26):
a look at the key issues and the links, and
then have a say on what you think needs to happen.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Within your region.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Thanks David. That was David Cooper, a principal policy advisor
at darien Z, discussing the RIMA reforms proposed by government.
If you would like to find out more about the
ROMA reforms, go to darienz dot com or the Ministry
for the Environment website.
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