Govt restores 'applicant pays' for EEZ marine consents; restores RMA repeal rights

Govt restores 'applicant pays' for EEZ marine consents; restores RMA repeal rights
Rebecca Howard
By Rebecca Howard May 3 (BusinessDesk) - The government has introduced a bill to amend the Exclusive Economic Zone Act to ensure those applying for notifiable marine consents pay for the Board of Inquiry that considers their applications, rather than the taxpayer picking up the cost. It also announced a wider review of the Resource Management Act in 2019.  "The 2017 amendments to the RMA and the EEZ were widely criticised for adding complexity and cost. Worse still, they changed the cost recovery rule and put the bill on the taxpayer. The...