WELLINGTON, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's parliament has passed legislation to replace the Resource Management Act (RMA), marking the country's most significant overhaul of its planning system in more than three decades.
The Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill replace the 35-year-old RMA with a system that is intended to be simpler, faster and more consistent, RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop said in a statement on Tuesday night.
More than 100 planning documents will be replaced by 17 regional combined plans, while nationally standardized zones and rules will reduce unnecessary variation across the country, Bishop said.
The government estimates about 45 percent of consent and permit applications currently required under the RMA could be removed, representing 15,000 to 22,000 applications based on 2023/24 volumes.
The new system will also set environmental limits for effects on ecosystems and human health, supported by national instruments and regional plans covering freshwater, coastal water, air, land, soil and indigenous biodiversity, Parliamentary Under-Secretary Simon Court said.
The government said independent analysis projects the new planning system will boost gross domestic product by an additional 0.56 percent annually by 2050, worth up to 3.1 billion NZ dollars (about 1.77 billion U.S. dollars) a year.
The new system is intended to be operational by 2030. ■