Martin Ward

Sustainability assessment: The New Zealand report

Martin Ward
Impact Assessment Specialist, NZ

Abstract:
From its inception in 1974 impact assessment in New Zealand has had a weak and narrow legislative foundation. The widely acclaimed integrated resource management legislation, the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) codified an assessment and review process for sustainable management of resources. It has struggled on many fronts in the absence of a strong planning framework at regional and local level and policy guidance from central government. Recent amendments restrict public involvement in the process.

The Local Government Act 2002 (LGA) introduced a requirement to take a “sustainable development approach” to all regional and local government activities including a requirement to address four community “well beings” viz social, cultural, economic and environmental. This established the opportunity to prospectively assess policies and plans for their likely sustainability outcome.

Regional scale spatial planing arose ‘spontaneously’ in most regions using the general mandate of the LGA and some impact assessment activities were introduced. Central government slowly established a sustainability framework with strong, but poorly connected climate change and social policy elements, and without an assessment component.

Sustainability Appraisal emerged from the research agenda and resides under deep cover in Canterbury.