37807 (2024). Hon Rachel Brooking to the Minister for the Environment

37807 (2024). Hon Rachel Brooking to the Minister for the Environment: Given the Minister for the Environment’s commitment in the House that “we will be consulting with academics, with scientists, with iwi, and with commercial and recreational users” what such consultation did she undertake, if any, prior to the announcement of changes to the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management on 23 April 2023?

Hon Penny Simmonds: Consultation and feedback received in relation to the Resource Management (Freshwater and Other Matters) Amendment Bill is described in regulatory impact analyses publicly available on the Ministry for the Environment's website. I refer the Member to: https://environment.govt.nz/acts-and-regulations/acts/resource-management-freshwater-and-other-matters-amendment-bill/ The Government is also committed to reviewing and replacing the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 and more information on that process will follow in due course.