The Government has today released a National Policy Statement for Highly Productive Land (NPS-HPL), which will enhance protection for New Zealand’s most productive land.
“The National Policy Statement will greatly improve how we protect highly-productive land from inappropriate subdivision, use and development,” Environment Minister David Parker said.
“We need to house our people and to feed them too. Our cities and towns need to grow but not at the expense of the land that’s best suited to grow our food.”
“The NPS-HPL will help protect our best growing areas so Kiwis continue to have access to leafy greens and other healthy foods.
“Councils will be required to identify, map and manage highly productive land to ensure it’s available for growing vegetables, fruit and other primary production, now and into the future.”
Agriculture and Trade Minister Damien O’Connor said, “Over the last 20 years, about 35,000 hectares of our highly productive land has been carved up for urban or rural residential development, while 170,000 hectares of this land has been converted to lifestyle blocks.
“Once land is built on, it can no longer be used to grow food and fibre. That’s why we are moving to protect our most fertile and versatile land, especially in our main food production areas like Auckland, Waikato, Hawke’s Bay, Horowhenua and Canterbury.”
The NPS-HPL will work in a complementary way with the NPS-UD. Urban intensification enabled under the NPS-UD will reduce the demand for outward urban growth on highly productive land.
“This recognises that using land for primary production needs to occur within environmental limits, and ensures that all land can be used and managed to best effect,” David Parker said.
“Councils, in limited circumstances, will still be able to rezone highly-productive land for urban housing if less productive land is not available, or if certain tests can be met.
“However, the NPS-HPL will introduce strong restrictions on the use of highly productive land for new rural lifestyle developments.”
The NPS-HPL will be transitioned into the two Acts replacing the Resource Management Act – the Spatial Planning Act (SPA) and the Natural and Built Environments Act (NBA).
Image credit: Alex Fu
I don’t often agree with this government but this is about time to be honest
Yep seems like a great move…. but …. what is the real agenda??
Forcing the people into the cities into high rise boxes like China, all the better to monitor and control them under lockdowns, give them small recreational public spaces, cycleways, reduce cars ownership and all vehicle transport in the cities.
But… like everything they touch it will turn out poorly.
Food security is very important but why don’t they think the same about energy security? This same government shut down Marsden point refinery and also banned drilling, drilling for gas that can be used to manufacture hydrogen as a low emission source of energy.
Very sneaky, Mr Parker.
And on the surface a great and long overdue idea. But we see through your sneakyness, it’s about changing the urban building code for high density urban housing, part of Agenda 2030 population management, moving people into the cities… ????
Yes it does
Absolutely agree 100% rack them and stack them so much easier to control that way.
You are correct, the plan for high rise boxes in the cities like China was passed in Labours 1st term. Walking, cycles, no car ownership , bussing workers into the country to work the food farms that will be owned by govt in the future.
“Councils will be required to identify, map and manage highly productive land…”
Yes, let’s put together a database of all the most strategically valuable pieces of land and feed that information to the globalist bug enthusiasts who want to “radically transform” agriculture across the planet. As long as they promise to be as honourable as they were during Covid, right?
This is nothing new, it just means adding another layer to the GIS database and imposing some controls under the district plan. It’s not a conspiracy.
Yip, just get on the trains. Nothing to worry about ????????
Carbon farming is taking up good farmland not the steep infertile poor land that it should what are you going to do about that Mrs Parker and O’Connor
I do agree with this, as I have been concerned about productive land on the Bombay hills being used for housing when it is some of the best soil for growing food in the country.
I hope there are no ulterior motives with this as my BS radar goes off every time this govt makes an announcement…..let’s just say the trust is gone.
Amazing how they can pass certain laws so quickly and yet other laws that could actually make things better for people with respect to cost of living they stall and stall.
I don’t believe anything they do now is for the benefit of New Zealanders.
God gives and the government takes…to make a law like this perhaps the govt should buy that land and then it owns it and can do what it likes with it……doesn’t freehold land mean it’s free to hold…not free to do with it as you please..this labor government needs to be committed to a mental asylum
No it doesn’t.
No, this government needs to be charged with crimes against humanity for forcing its people to take an experimental gene therapy which has resulted in countless deaths and injuries.
????
Whether this is actually about protecting arable land or grabbing private property, remains to be seen. I don’t trust these politicians, so I have my reservations.
Concentrating people into the cities in the high rise urban boxes Labour approved in their 1st term. All the better for lockdowns and control . No car ownership, walking and cycling, planning to bus workers to the ‘leafy green’ government -owned food farms to work for a pittance. No mention of beef and sheep farms. Everything they plan from now on will be under the guise of climate change , in reality it’s a means of taking away our last grasp on democracy into communism , ultimate power over us all
#Dailytelegrraph why are you being selective about the posts you allow? appalling anti-democratic tactics . I’m very disappointed that you’ve chosen to back this evil government at the expense of the people’s democratic rights
Hi there, thanks for your message. The reason we publish government releases like this is solely to give readers the opportunity to comment on them. In other places where this kind of government information is published, there is no ability for New Zealanders to voice their opinion – either the ability to comment doesn’t exist, or they are heavily censored. I can assure you we are not backing this evil government! We are simply giving people the chance to have their say on what the government is proposing.