RMA Reform Bill – Urgent Submissions Required
The latest Resource Management Reform Bill before Parliament is written so that, if it passed into law, there will be NO forms of tree protection allowed in any Local Authority’s district plan apart from the scheduling of notable trees.
Many of you have been through the process of nominating trees for addition to the Schedules of Notable Trees in the district plans operating within the Auckland region and some of you have been successful in gaining that addition. Others have not! However, we are now faced with the prospect that this is the only way we can protect our trees in the urban environment.
We need to act now.
The Tree Council has written a full submission on the relevant section 76 of the Resource Management Reform Bill and is asking you to respond by also writing your own submission.
We have produced a pro-forma submission here for your use if you wish or just use parts of it. You can of course write an entirely personal submission.
The Tree Council’s full submission is here.
URGENT – PLEASE NOTE THE CLOSING DATE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS THURSDAY 28th FEBRUARY 2013.
There is also a short piece in our submission about Amendments to the Local Government (Auckland Transitional Provisions) Act. Amendments to this Act as written will mean the Ministers of Environment and Conservation will appoint the hearings panel to hear all evidence put forward to the Auckland Unitary Plan. The Tree Council objects strongly to this and believes Auckland’s Unitary Plan should be heard by a panel appointed by Auckland’s democratically elected representatives. It is inappropriate for a national Government and its ministers to be involved in a local matter when it is the ratepayers who will be meeting the costs of the Unitary Plan preparation.
The Tree Council also opposes the wording in the Act that means the government appointed hearings panel can ignore National Policy Statements! Auckland currently houses 1/3rd of NZ’s population – we need more protection, not less!! Our submission expresses those views.
Notes for submitters:
1. Use A4 paper, on one side only, adequate margins and spacing between paragraphs.
2. Information on the Bill (including the text) is available on http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Legislation/Bills/
3. Those familiar with making submissions to select committees can do so through www.parliament.nz and follow the links, but there is no simple email contact available.
4. 2 copies of your printed submission must be sent.
5. No postage is needed; just write ‘Freepost’ on the envelope.