This submission addresses National Direction Packages 1, 2 and 3.
In summary, the proposed changes to national direction represent a major shift away from managing human activities within environmental limits. As such, they represent a significant threat to the natural environment and its life-supporting capacity, which in turn jeopardises the wellbeing of people and communities.
Overall, the proposals:
- are inconsistent with New Zealand’s international obligations under climate, biodiversity, fisheries, and natural hazard-related multilateral agreements, and also run contrary to New Zealand’s domestic policy goals and obligations in those areas.
- do not implement Part 2 of the Resource Management Act 1991 (“RMA”).
- are internally inconsistent, for example by relying on identification of significant natural areas or mapping of wetlands while also preventing or extending the timeframe for those actions to be implemented.
- run contrary to the evidence as to the degradation of freshwater quality, reduction in quality and extent of wetlands, biodiversity loss, and carbon emissions.
- treat protection of the environment as an impediment to be overcome through permissive policy, rather than a critical safeguard to sustain ecosystems, people and communities, and overlook the role of nature-based solutions in providing for our wellbeing.
Download and read Forest & Bird's submission: