Forestry Backs Farmers On RMA

23 November 2007

Forest owners have endorsed a call by Federated Farmers for a national debate about the Resource Management Act. NZFOA president Peter Berg says the Act is the cornerstone of the country’s environmental legislation, but it needs to work better.
“Processes need to be streamlined and, in order to achieve greater certainty and less time wasted in hearings, more use needs to be made of national instruments. In other words if you are planting or harvesting a forest, the same rules should apply in the same circumstances – no matter where the forest is located,” he says.
The RMA is one of a growing number of Acts, rules and regulations limiting the rights of private land owners, or which require individuals to provide an involuntary benefit to the wider community.
“Before making these impositions, national, regional and local government should at the very least be required to consult with affected property owners. In a situation where the wider community benefits from a private individual forgoing their rights, appropriate compensation should be paid.”
He said the Public Works Act provided for proper compensation of land owners who were required to surrender land for the public good. It was a model which could be applied in many RMA-type situations.
Mr Berg says farmers and foresters have a common concern that regulators are constraining their ability to do business without effective consultation or where appropriate, compensation. If you would like to submit a news item to be considered for inclusion on Inwood Today, please email the text to: Australia, Jim Bowden, and all other countries to info@inwoodmag.com

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