5621 (2024). Lan Pham to the Minister for the Environment

5621 (2024). Lan Pham to the Minister for the Environment: What information, if any, does MfE keep on the costs that have been imposed on councils as a result of the changes from the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020?

Hon Penny Simmonds: The Ministry for the Environment collects information from local authorities on their implementation of the Resource Management Act 1991 through the National Monitoring System. Councils are asked to provide information on policy statements and plan-making. The collection of data includes questions on the costs on councils from plan-making processes associated with National Direction, including the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020. Councils are asked to provide their best estimate of such costs from the date a plan commenced to the date it is operative in full (including all costs of staff, consultants, and overheads). National Monitoring System data is collected by financial year. The latest data is from the financial year of 2021/22 and sits on the Ministry for the Environment website. https://environment.govt.nz/what-government-is-doing/areas-of-work/rma/national-monitoring-system/