The Severe Weather Emergency Legislation Act 2023 (the Act) was
passed into law on 20 March 2023, just six days after its
introduction to the House. In the time between our last update and the passing of the Act, some
small but important amendments were made.
While the overall thrust of the Act remains the same –
recognising that it may not be possible to effectively and
efficiently manage the impacts of extreme weather events, while
simultaneously complying with the RMA and other regulatory
requirements – there are a few important amendments that
shouldn't be left to fly under the radar.
Rural Landowners
Key changes have been made to the provisions regarding rural
landowners and occupiers. The Act widens what can be qualified as
"rural land", to allow those rural landowners and
occupiers to undertake preventative or remedial activities to
mitigate loss, injury or damage, without a resource consent.
