NZPI’s Resource Management Advisory Group (RMAG) ran a session at NZPIC24 on the 22nd of March to gather feedback from members on RM reform. At least 80 people were in attendance and we have summarised the valuable member insights taken from this session.
The facilitators asked five questions, displayed one at a time on the screen, and attendees were given approximately five minutes to discuss the questions with their neighbours and enter anonymous responses using the Slido app. There was no limit on how many responses an attendee could enter. Attendees were able to vote for responses from other attendees and there was no limit on number of votes. A ‘live’ word cloud, created by Slido, evolved on the screen as attendees entered responses. This was an informal way to engage directly with members (and non-members at the conference) and seek high-level feedback on RM reform issues.
The responses to each question have since been grouped into categories, to get a sense of the key themes in the responses. The paper below presents a summary of the results for each question, an analysis of the results, and the key take-aways for NZPI’s policy and advocacy work on RM Reform.
The results of this feedback gathering exercise are a snap-shot in time, representative of those at the conference with an interest in RM reform. They reflect the context of the conference, which included themes of climate change, co-governance, and bridging the central/local government divide. The session followed a speech at the conference by Hon Chris Bishop, Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, where he gave an overview of the Government’s plans for RM reform. The Government’s first legislative change to the RM system, the Fast-track Approvals Bill, was with the Environment Committee and open for submissions at the time of Conference, and the proposals in that Bill are likely to have influenced some of the responses in this exercise.
NZPI will use this feedback, along with the other feedback it collects, to develop a deeper understanding of views across the membership.
