欢迎环境委员会提交《自然环境法案》和《规划法案》报告
农业部长Todd McClay表示，环境委员会提交《规划法案》（Planning Bill）和《自然环境法案》（Natural Environment Bill）的审议报告，是新西兰初级产业发展的重要一步。
McClay表示：
“这两项法案是本届政府推动经济增长、支持农民发展计划的重要组成部分。
多年来，《资源管理法》（RMA）给新西兰食品和纤维生产者带来了额外成本、拖延和不确定性。以一个更加务实、合理并以结果为导向的新制度取代它，对农民和整个经济而言都是好消息。
我很高兴看到环境委员会认真听取了行业意见，并对淡水农场计划（Freshwater Farm Plans）的实际运作方式进行了完善。”
环境部副部长兼农业部副部长Andrew Hoggard也欢迎环境委员会完成《规划法案》和《自然环境法案》的审议，并将法案提交回国会。
Hoggard表示：
“这是政府改革的重要里程碑，也是用两部新法取代《资源管理法》（RMA）的又一步。《资源管理法》长期阻碍发展，并让农民、房主、毛利部族（iwi）、地方政府以及其他群体感到挫折。
在新的规划体系中，淡水农场计划将继续发挥作用，作为管理环境影响的重要工具，并以合理、成本效益高、风险导向的方式进行实施。”
在环境委员会审议过程中，法案还对淡水农场计划的审计制度进行了重要修改。
委员会同意修改法案：
取消未认证农场计划必须接受审计的要求。
Hoggard表示：
“这一改变体现了以风险为基础、更加务实的农场计划管理方式。
只有那些被认定对淡水环境存在较高风险活动的农场，才需要制定经过认证并接受审计的淡水农场计划。”
对于风险较低的农场：
- 仍需制定并持有农场计划；
- 仍需向地方议会（Council）申报已经制定农场计划；
- 但不需要进行认证；
- 也不需要接受审计。
在一些敏感流域（Sensitive Catchments）中，淡水农场计划还可以用于满足相关法规或规定要求。
Hoggard表示：
“对于大多数农民来说，制定农场计划将是一项简单直接的工作。这为农民提供了一种切实可行的方法，用于识别、管理并减少农业活动对土地和淡水环境造成的影响。”
农民也可以根据需要，主动选择让自己的农场计划接受认证和审计，例如为了满足某些出口市场或特定市场准入要求。
最后，Hoggard表示：
“农民告诉我们，他们希望建立一个成本更低、恢复确定性，同时能够在不重复过去《资源管理法》繁琐程序的情况下继续保护环境的制度。我认为，我们已经实现了这一目标。”
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says the Select Committee report on the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill is a significant step forward for the primary sector.
“These bills are central to this Government’s plan to grow the economy and back our farmers,” says Todd McClay.
“For too long the RMA has added cost, delay, and uncertainty for the people who grow and produce New Zealand’s food and fibre. Replacing it with a system that is practical, proportionate, and focused on outcomes is good news for farmers and for the wider economy.”
“I’m pleased to see the Select Committee has listened to the sector and refined how freshwater farm plans will work in practice.”
Associate Environment and Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard has welcomed the Select Committee report on the Planning Bill and the Natural Environment Bill, which have been sent back to the House.
“This is a milestone for the Government and another step for the two new bills to replace the RMA, which has held up development and caused frustration for farmers, homeowners, iwi, councils, and others,” says Andrew Hoggard.
“There is a role for freshwater farm plans in the new planning system, as a key tool to manage environmental impacts in a way that is proportionate, cost-effective, and risk focused.”
There have also been key and welcome changes to the bills as part of the Select Committee process, relating to audits in the freshwater farm plan system. The Select Committee has agreed to amend the legislation to remove the requirement for a non-certified farm plan to be audited.
“This change supports the risk-based and practical approach for farm plans.
Only those farms undertaking activities with a higher identified risk to freshwater will be required to have a certified and audited freshwater farm plan.”
Farmers with lower risk activities will still need to prepare and hold a farm plan, and declare they have one to the council, but they will not need to have it certified or audited.
In sensitive catchments, freshwater farm plans may also be used to comply with rules or regulations.
“Farm plans will be straightforward for most farmers to develop, giving them a practical way to identify, manage, and reduce the impacts of farming on their land and freshwater.”
Farmers can opt to have their plans certified and audited at any time, if that’s required for access to specific markets.
“We’ve heard from farmers that they want a system that’s cost-effective, restores certainty, and provides environmental protections without the delays of the old RMA. I believe we’ve achieved that,” says Andrew Hoggard.
