Horticulture and commercial vegetable growers in particular stand to be major beneficiaries of radical proposals by government to make sweeping changes to RMA regulations. According to the Minister for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, the RMA as it stands embeds a culture of 'no' and says this must change to a 'yes'. He adds the planning system is broken and is a handbrake on economic growth and the cause of many challenges across the economy.
Proposed changes include changes to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater (NPS-FM), with local councils given greater flexibility to balance environmental goals with economic impacts. It would also see the removal of unnecessary consents for practices such as crop rotation and enable commercial domestic vegetable growing and support long-term water security by enabling water storage. It may also spell the end of the controversial concept of Te Mana o Te Wai.
HortNZ chief executive Kate Scott says the Government's policy will support New Zealanders' access to locally grown fresh produce. She says it would offer some relief for commercial vegetable growers who have been living with uncertainty and unworkable rules and allow them to continue providing the healthy food we need.
"The Government's proposed changes to freshwater rules would provide for crop rotation and signals a future without resource consents for commercial vegetable growing. This will give growers confidence for the future," she says.
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