Fish & Game welcomes aspects of Resource Management reform but seeks stronger protections

Fish & Game New Zealand welcomes elements of the Government's resource management reform, including retention of Water Conservation Orders and making it easier to restore or create wetlands, but says stronger safeguards are needed to recognise the values and interests of anglers and hunters.

The Government will replace the Resource Management Act with a Planning Bill to enable development and regulate land use, and a Natural Environment Bill to protect nature and encourage efficient use of land and resources.

Fish & Game Chief Executive Officer Corina Jordan said the organisation is particularly pleased Water Conservation Orders would be retained in the Natural Environment Bill.

"Water Conservation Orders protect 16 nationally significant water bodies, and Fish & Game has been instrumental in establishing most of these.

"These orders recognise outstanding values for fishing, hunting, recreation and ecosystem health. Their retention is excellent news for our 300,000 licence holders and all New Zealanders who value these special places."

Jordan said Fish & Game supports clearer national policy direction and reduced planning complexity and we support clear national environmental standards that provide certainty, while enabling local decision-making.

Fish & Game also welcomes proposed national standards that could streamline wetland construction.

"We've been advocating for years to make it easier to create wetlands," Jordan said.

"If national standards enable wetland construction without requiring resource consent, that will be a significant positive step for game bird habitat and broader environmental outcomes."

However, Jordan said Fish & Game is concerned the reforms don't adequately recognise the values and interests of hunters and anglers, or the species and habitats they depend on.

"The Resource Management Act specifically required consideration of trout and salmon habitat, amenity values, and recreational opportunities.

"These provisions appear to have been removed or significantly diluted, and we're concerned this doesn't reflect the values of our licence holders or the broader New Zealand public who value freshwater recreation."

Fish & Game is heartened to see retention of an environmental limits’ framework, but we will be looking closely at the new proposal to see how these will be implemented in practice.

Fish & Game will be seeking better access provisions.

"The Resource Management Act required councils to maintain and enhance public access to lakes, rivers and the coast. The Planning Bill only requires councils to maintain access, removing the obligation to improve it. For hunters and anglers, access to waterways is fundamental."

"We support catchment communities and local decision-making, but this needs to occur within a robust framework that sets clear environmental standards.

"We believe New Zealand can have healthy freshwater, thriving communities and a prosperous economy. But the legislative framework needs to support all three of these outcomes, not prioritise one over the others."

Fish & Game will continue engaging with the reform process as the legislation progresses through Parliament.

"Our vision is a New Zealand where freshwater habitats and species flourish, hunting and fishing traditions thrive, and all Kiwis enjoy access to sustainable wild fish and game resources,” said Jordan.

"We'll be working to ensure these reforms support that vision."