The Proposed National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity

In October of last year the National Government announced plans to develop a National Policy Statement for biodiversity.  In New Zealand we have the ability to use National Policy Statements to give detailed statutory guidance to regional, district and unitary councils on their obligations under the Resource Management Act. Councils are required to ‘give effect to’ them in their resource management plans.  Hence, the proposed NPS on Indigenous Biodiversity sets out the Government’s expectations for managing New Zealand’s indigenous biodiversity under the Resource Management Act 1991.

The proposed NPS is intended to provide clearer direction to local authorities on their responsibilities for managing indigenous biodiversity. It outlines policies and decision-making frameworks for the identification and management of indigenous biodiversity found outside the public conservation estate.

The proposed NPS contains a list of criteria for identifying areas of indigenous vegetation and habitats of indigenous animals that have been recognised as being rare and/or threatened at a national level. The proposed NPS requires district and relevant regional plans to identify these areas of significant biodiversity within five years of the NPS taking effect. 

Local authorities would be required to manage the effects of activities through district and regional plans and resource consent decisions (or be satisfied that effects are managed by other methods) to ensure there is no net loss of significant indigenous biodiversity.

The proposed NPS also seeks to promote the maintenance of indigenous biodiversity while recognising the rights and responsibilities of landowners and the interests of Maori.
The Society executive has prepared the following submission to MfE on behalf of the Society (Biodiversity NPS Submission).  We would welcome any comments/suggestions on this on or before 8 April to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Further we would suggest that you all consider individually reviewing the proposed NPS and supporting documents and, if so compelled, making your own personal submission.  You can go to http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/biodiversity/indigenous-biodiversity/index.html to find the background, proposed policy and submission forms. Note that any submission is due on or before 2 May 2011.