Video episode available for free on my Substack. New Zealand’s biggest environmental law is being dismantled and rebuilt — and the stakes are not “technical”. In this episode of Coherent, I’m joined by planner and geographer Tina Porou (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Porou), who has spent her career working with iwi, hapū and organisations at the intersection of planning, te Tiriti, and tikanga Māori. Tina explains why planning law is never neutral: it shapes who has power, who gets heard, and what kinds of futures become possible. We talk through what is being lost as the Resource Management Act is replaced by the Planning Act and the Natural Environment Act, including the removal of the RMA’s Part 2 foundations — and the decades of practice and case law that have enabled Māori participation and more relational, place-based decision-making. Tina unpacks what “systemic racism” can look like in the planning system in practical terms, and why the reforms risk narrowing Māori participation into Crown-defined boxes while shifting conflict from collaborative processes into courts, private negotiations, and protest. She also explains why Treaty settlements cannot simply be treated as the only avenue for Māori involvement — because many were negotiated on the explicit assumption that the RMA’s core protections and participation pathways would remain in place. We explore the reforms’ push toward speed and “efficiency”, the centralising force of national direction, and the chilling effect of a regulatory takings approach that could lock councils into lower environmental standards. Tina argues that the real costs are likely to land on communities, iwi and hapū, and the environment — while any apparent upfront streamlining may simply defer complexity into long-term ecological harm, legal risk, and fractured relationships. Finally, Tina offers a clear bird’s-eye guide for people engaging with the select committee process: what to focus on, how to collaborate, and why submissions still matter — not only to influence the law, but to build public expertise and collective capacity. We end on a hopeful note: the best blueprint may still be a better RMA — and New Zealand can still choose to lead, rather than retreat, on environmental limits, indigenous partnership, and future-focused governance. Submissions on the new bills are currently open. If you’ve been wondering where to start, this kōrero is a powerful place to begin. Resources: Tina’s website: https://www.poipoia.co.nz/ Link to Tina’s paper on the RMA reforms Link to government information on the reforms, including links for making a submission on each bill to the select committee Subscribe for more If you value independent political analysis, subscribe to my Substack for more interviews, writing, and updates. Free subscribers get regular content. Paid subscriptions really help keep this work going. You can also buy me a coffee!
