National will adopt most of the recommendations of the Caygill Review into the ETS, with two key exceptions.

These standards will resolve differences in planning rules implemented by regional councils and territorial authorities.

Further streamlining of the resource management regime and a new process for the Auckland Unitary Plan were introduced.

These changes include a new target that 90 per cent of lakes and rivers meet swimmable water quality standards by 2040.

A recent hikoi and petition to Parliament highlights the increasing focus on the management of the quality of freshwater.

NZ will be the first country to introduce a nationwide standard for biofouling, to prevent pests entering from overseas.

New provisions of plan change 18 which deal with indigenous biodiversity impact most land uses in the Mackenzie District.

You must understand the nature and previous uses of the land you own or are considering buying, to manage future costs.

The government has extended consultation timeframes for various national regulations and policy documents currently open.

Results from the monitoring show no serious public health risk from airborne dust, but nuisance dust levels may exist.

There could be some confusion between the signalled government policy, the applicable standards, and industry practice.

The aim of the proposed NESAQ amendments is to better control the release of fine particulate matter into the air.

The aim of the AEJ approach is to get the offender and those concerned by the environmental harm involved in the process.

MFE is consulting on these proposed amendments to the Emissions Trading Scheme, NZ's principal policy for climate change.

This article, written by Michael Garbett, a partner at Anderson Lloyd, follows on from an earlier article entitled which discussed different approaches adopted in the Environment Court towards assessing resource consents for restricted discretionary activities.

On September 15, 2020, New Zealand's Minister for Climate Change announced that New Zealand will be the first country in the world to require the financial sector to report on climate risks.

The new Canterbury Air Regional Plan makes significant changes to the rules relating to home heating. .

Vendors and agents should note the current REA guidance and take care when commenting on methamphetamine test results.

Key changes under the Fast-track Approvals Amendment Act 2025

The reliability of environmental claims is difficult to assess, precisely because a universal standard is unworkable.