National received support from its usual allies and New Zealand First to send resource management reform to select committee today.
Environment Minister Amy Adams said the Resource Management Reform Bill continued reforms of the law.
The Government would be moving on freshwater and natural resources management as well as wider issues in the first half of next year.
This bill addressed other issues that should be dealt with more quickly such as streamlining the current processes to remove uncertainties from the current system.
The delays were creating costs of hundreds of millions dollar for developers and uncertainty for communities, Adams said.
Grant Robertson said the bill represented a centralisation of management of resources from local communities.
Robertson also questioned “what National had against trees” as the bill singled out the treatment of trees saying the bill would require individual trees to be protected not groups.
The bill passed its first reading by 71 to 49 with National, NZ First, Maori Party, ACT and United Future in favour and sent to the Local Government and Environment Committee
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