Reforming Planning Legislation: A New Zealand Perspective

Abstract

The Resource management Act 1991 provides a new statutory framework for environmental planning in New Zealand. This Act replaces a plethora of former environmental planning and management statutes including the town and country planning legislation. The paper has three main parts. First, the reform process which culminated in the new Act is described. The discussion highlights the influence of business and environmental alliances in the reform process. Next, an overview of the Resource Management Act is presented, followed by a discussion of the implications of the new legislation for planning practice. © 1994, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.