Greens propose fairer filing fee for the community

The Green Party today lodged a complaint with Parliament’s Regulations Review Committee about the nine-fold increase in the filing fee for Environment Court appeal applications.

The Minister for the Environment has increased the filing fee from $55 to $500 from 7 May 2009. The Green Party says this will prevent access to mediation and result in poorer planning and decisions.

“A modest increase in the filing fee is overdue, but a nine-fold increase is unreasonable,” said Green Party Co-leader Russel Norman.

“The Green Party proposes a fairer increase to between $100 and $250, and we have written to Parliament’s Regulations Review Committee requesting they consider a more reasonable fee.”

Dr Norman has discussed the proposed fee increase at public meetings around the country in the past month, and with many community groups.

“The fee increase will particularly hurt the small environment groups, residents’ associations and voluntary community project groups who work on behalf of the public.

“Community advocates tell me that the filing fee will have a real impact on their ability to get mediated solutions with Councils and developers. This will result in poorer Council plans and consent conditions that do less to protect the public interest,” said Dr Norman.

“This Government’s unreasonable increase is the thin end of the wedge – an RMA reform bill currently before Parliament proposes to further hamper the community’s say. It will restrict the public’s right to appeal plans and institute a bond system.

“The massive increase is unnecessary because the vast majority of appeals end up being solved through mediation.”

The Environment Court is designed to be informal, accessible and different to other Courts in New Zealand. A core function of the Court is to facilitate mediated solutions to appeals.

According to the Ministry for the Environment, only 1% of resource consents are appealed, and only 10% of those reach a court hearing. The other 90% reach mediated solutions or are withdrawn.

“One has to ask how the Government’s keenness to hike a fee for community participation by 900% fits with its policy to prevent large increases in other community costs like rates,” Dr Norman concluded.