MAF Involvement in Resource Management Act Plans to Change
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) has recently reviewed its current work on submissions to local authority Resource Management plans. MAF has taken a strategic decision to phase down its direct involvement in this work over the current financial year. This will allow MAF to shift resources to focus on some other areas of work. Mike Jebson, the Director of MAF's Sustainable Resource Use Policy Group, elaborates:
As I explained in the April 1999 issue of MAF RM Update the former Ministries of Agriculture and Forestry and the new MAF have been actively involved in making submissions on regional and district council plans since the inception of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). This involvement over nine years has assisted councils with the development and fine-tuning of policies and plans affecting the land-based sectors during a period when all parties were still getting to grips with the RMA planning process.
As experience with the RMA has developed, local interest and sector groups have become better organised and understand what is required to effectively input into the process. MAF considers there is now less need for direct involvement in submissions.
This decision will allow MAF to free up resources to focus on other key policy issues for the Government and the land-based sectors. This includes MAF's work under its new Rural Affairs mandate to support the Minister for Rural Affairs; increased focus on Climate Change policy development; our role in developing and running the recently launched "Sustainable Farming Fund"; a focus on water allocation issues; and input to support the Government's overall regional development objectives.
The Rural Affairs work requires that MAF significantly increase current efforts to ensure that legislation, policies, and Government practices take the needs and interests of rural communities into account. Examples of some areas that MAF will be reviewing under its Rural Affairs mandate include regional development, transport, health, ACC, energy, telecommunications (e-commerce), employment, and education issues affecting the sectors.
MAF is also significantly increasing its input into Climate Change policy to support the Government's desire to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on green house gas emissions and sinks by 2002 and to ensure robust and appropriate policy responses are adopted.
The Sustainable Farming Fund as outlined later in this issue of MAF RM Update (announced in the Budget as the Sustainable Resource Development Fund) is also a major new policy initiative to support community-based programmes to improve the economic and environmental performance of the land-based sectors. The purpose of the fund is to assist rural communities to overcome barriers to their economic, environmental and social viability.
While MAF is phasing down its direct involvement in submissions on local and regional council plans this does not mean it is exiting from this work altogether.
We will remain directly involved at the national level in strategic RMA issues. This will include inputs to: any amendments to the RMA; proposed National Policy Statements; national guidelines; and best management practices relating to the land-based sectors.
MAF will also continue to publish MAF RM Update as a vehicle to promote discussion on a range of RMA issues affecting the sectors. MAF's role of information broker will continue to ensure that good information on the sectors is available to all parties. This will include statistical information on the sectors as well as information on environmental effects, mitigation strategies, and likely future directions of agriculture and forestry. This will assist other parties to engage in the RMA planning process.
MAF will continue to seek involvement in regional and national working groups on significant issues impacting the sectors as they arise. We will also continue to monitor RMA implementation issues as part of our rural affairs mandate.
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Michael Jebson Director, Sustainable Resource Use Policy MAF Policy Wellington |
Contact for Enquiries
Amber Duncalfe
Editor - RM Update
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Tel: +64 4 894 0710
Fax: +64 4 894 0745
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