The RMA will be replaced by two new laws—the Natural Environment Act and Planning Act—by 2025, aiming to reduce red tape and simplify the system. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

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Briefing for 25 March 2025

Luxon government to scrap RMA, promises 45% cut in red tape

Two new Acts—the Natural Environment Act and the Planning Act—will replace the Resource Management Act (RMA) by the end of 2025, with a bill introduced to Parliament in 2026 and passed before the next election.

The government claims that the reforms will slash compliance and administrative costs by 45 per cent.

Notably, the new Acts will drop the clause requiring adherence to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Winston Peters doubles down on anti-woke message, says NZ First is “on the rise”

In a spirited address, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters declared war on what he calls “woke social engineering,” claiming New Zealand First is leading a political resurgence based on common sense, meritocracy, and national unity.

“This party is seriously on the rise,” Peters told supporters, mocking media and political opponents for underestimating NZ First.

NZ Herald has lost its way, says economist Robert MacCulloch

Economist Robert MacCulloch takes aim at NZME’s opposition to a potential remake by investor Jim Grenon, suggesting their concern is less about editorial independence and more about preserving the status quo.

“Is it concerned a takeover may end its outrageous bias?” he asks, mocking board chair Barbara Chapman’s warning that “radical disruption is not the answer.”

Jesse Mulligan: ‘Abundance’ shows how the left can start winning again

According to commentator Jesse Mulligan, in Abundance, Democrat-aligned journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson argue that progressive parties have become bureaucratic blockers instead of visionary builders.

This is an idea Mulligan believes will “dominate the political conversation” in the coming weeks.

New Zealand and China complete first manned dive to Puysegur Trench

Chinese and New Zealand scientists have successfully completed a historic joint dive expedition to the Puysegur Trench—marking the first time humans have reached its deepest point.

Led by the Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering (China) and NIWA (New Zealand), the three-month expedition involved 68 scientists from eight countries and completed 32 dive missions aboard the Tansuo-1 research vessel using China’s full-ocean-depth manned submersible Fendouzhe (Striver).

Atheist academic defends churches’ tax-free status, calls them vital to NZ’s social fabric

University of Waikato law professor Dr Juliet Chevalier-Watts says New Zealand churches do so much good for the country that they should pay even less tax—not more.

A long-time atheist and expert in charity law, she began her research intending to argue the opposite. But after more than a decade studying the economic and legal role of religious charities, she’s changed her mind.

Alzheimer’s may be an autoimmune disease, not a brain disorder

A leading neuroscientist says Alzheimer’s disease may not be a brain disorder in the traditional sense, but rather an autoimmune condition caused by the body’s own defence system attacking the brain.

Professor Donald Weaver of the Krembil Brain Institute argues that the long-dominant theory—blaming abnormal clumps of beta-amyloid protein—misses the true nature of the disease.