Regional councils in Prime Minister’s crosshairs

The Environment Committee’s report on the Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Bill confirms that the Government intends to push ahead with changes that would significantly undermine regional councils’ ability to manage the effects of fishing on coastal marine biodiversity. The changes introduce new procedural barriers, including mandatory concurrence from the Ministry for Primary Industries and delayed legal effect for fishing-related rules, making it much harder for councils to act promptly to protect marine habitats. EDS strongly opposed those provisions, warning they prioritise commercial fishing interests over marine ecosystems and diminish the ability of local communities to safeguard their coasts. The better path would have been to codify existing case law that supports regional council authority, rather than impose obstacles that weaken marine biodiversity protections.

Spurred on by a self-serving campaign by the primary sector, the Government is considering weakening the 2050 methane targets in the Climate Change Response Act (CCRA). Agricultural lobbyists have managed to avoid methane pricing for 20 plus years and now they’re seeking to reduce the 2050 target from its present range of 24-47% of 2017 levels to a fixed 14%. That will effectively shift the burden of emissions reductions to households and businesses and make net zero even more challenging for our country. It also risks undermining the cross-part consensus on CCRA targets which is a dangerous route to go down for such a long-lived challenge. There’s a lot wrong with our current policy settings but reducing the primary sector’s obligations to meet its fair share will make things even worse.

EDS is currently drafting its comprehensive submission on the Government’s sweeping review of national direction under the RMA, the most extensive overhaul in the Act’s history. We will be engaging with all parts of the consultation but will focus particularly on protections for freshwater and indigenous biodiversity, where serious red flags have already emerged. These include the so-called rebalancing of Te Mana o te Wai, proposals to significantly expand development pathways, and forestry changes that ignore long-standing structural failings in the regulations. While Minister Chris Bishop recently assured attendees at EDS’s annual conference that the Government is “not blind to the fundamental importance of the environment,” such statements ring hollow in the face of a legislative agenda that has relentlessly undone environmental protections. Changes to national direction are shaping up to be no different: less protection, more exploitation. EDS will release a draft of its submission before the deadline.

Each year Fisheries NZ puts out a document summarising “The status of New Zealand’s Fisheries”. The summary for 2024 has the heading “By far the majority of New Zealand’s fish stocks are performing well”. But is this in fact the case? Fisheries NZ evaluates 402 fish stocks, but it only reported the status of 147 stocks against management targets in 2024, and of these 114 (or just 28% of the total stocks) had a favourable status. This is far less than the majority claimed in the heading.

With early bird registration numbers exceeding 2024, it’s clear that businesses recognise the imperative for climate action. This year’s conference brings together local and international experts and leaders in climate policy at a time when serious engagement is needed more urgently than ever, given the profound changes taking place globally. The event will tackle the gnarly climate challenges facing our country, in both mitigation and adaptation, and look to drive real and meaningful change. The Climate Change and Business Conference is on 8-9 September at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland.