Who looks after the environment and how?
Councils have one of the biggest jobs under the RMA. There are three types of councils in New Zealand:
- There are 12 regional councils. Among other things they manage the rivers, the air, the coast, and soil - resources that are not generally owned by individuals.
- We have 68 city and district councils. They do heaps under the Local Government Act - catch stray dogs, mow rugby fields, drag away abandoned cars, and collect your rubbish. But as well as all this, the RMA requires them to look at how our use of the land can affect the environment: noise; new subdivisions and land development; plans to clear native bush, change historic buildings, or anything else that might affect what the community has agreed is important.
- We also have five unitary authorities, which do the jobs of both regional and district councils.
The other key players involved in looking after the environment are the Ministry for the Environment and the Department of Conservation. The Ministry for the Environment gives advice to the government on environmental issues and helps the Minister for the Environment keep an eye on the way councils do their jobs under the RMA. The Department of Conservation and the Minister of Conservation have a particular role under the RMA to keep an eye on the way the coastal environment is managed.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment is another agency that has an overview role of the way the environment is managed in New Zealand. The Commissioner investigates emerging environmental issues and may also investigate concerns raised by the public. The Commissioner usually makes recommendations to the appropriate agency on how to improve its performance in future.
Summary - cutting to the chase
- There are three different types of councils that have responsibilities for looking after the environment under the RMA.
- The Ministry for the Environment and the Department of Conservation also play a part in environmental management.
