What Will Resource Management Reforms Mean for Recruitment for Planning Professionals?
As a Recruitment Consultant in the Planning and Surveying space, I have a conversation daily about the looming and dooming RMA changes coming to New Zealand. Often these conversations are brief as people only see me as a Recruitment Consultant and people expert. However, I enjoy surprising the people I talk to, letting them know I studied in the Environmental Management Space and have had prior experience working for local government within the Planning department.
Changes in the Resource Management Act how it impacts recruitment and talent acquisition
The belief on why the Resource Management Act needs to be changed is because it has not delivered consistent environmental outcomes, processes are taking too long and appears not to be efficient for our current and future challenges. The proposed change is to split the RMA into three different Acts, The Natural and Built Environment Act, The Spatial Planning Act, and the Climate Adaptation Act.
The Resource Management Act
The Natural and Build Environments Act is the primary piece of legislation to replace the RMA, recently we have been exposed to the draft of this Act. From this, we can see the main objectives which are in place for this, targeting the weaker areas of the RMA to see strong change. These objectives are:
- Protect and where necessary restore the natural environment,
- Better enable for significant improvement in housing supply, affordability, and choice.
- Give effect to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi
- Better prepare for adapting to climate change and risks from natural hazards
- Improve system efficiency and effectiveness, and reduce complexity
How the RMA impacts recruitment and talent acquisition
From this everything sounds positive, and things will work out perfectly…. This is what we are trying to believe with our fingers crossed and eyes shut. However, instead of focusing on the new Acts and what they could produce, I would like to shift focus to my industry in Recruitment. It would be interesting to see if these objectives are met, and how they will affect the recruitment and people management within the planning and surveying space.
The other daily conversations I have with people are always about the apparent shortage of planners that are in the country. There are multiple reports of resource consent applications piling up due to the dwindling number of planners. This has increased the number of contractors local councils need to bring in to help with the number of consents coming through the door. Also, with the three water reforms occurring as well, local governments are going through a time of uncertainty, I am consistently hearing from planners that “now seems like the time to move” for their next opportunity. Whether looking for a private consultancy to have more understanding of the company’s future or to move to start their own contracting work and become their own boss.
The RMA has been widely criticised for imposing restrictions on the ability of the housing sector to respond to housing demands, and for processes that take too long and cost too much. With the reforms aiming to reverse the restrictions on residential subdivisions, there will be a far greater number of people who will be looking to apply to subdivide their property. As there will be an increase in demand for land development services, this will increase the demand for land development specialists. Now reading that sentence I should be rubbing my hands together chuckling at the thought, that more businesses wanting workers would be a good thing for me. However, with there being a shortage everywhere across the country it will not make finding the correct candidates any easier as more businesses will be wanting to keep their planners.
A positive from the increase in demand for Resource Management planners will mean that most organisations will grow, start graduate programmes, and take on interns to develop the knowledge of future generations, thus creating more planners. The trend of small organisations beginning in smaller regions with a more local approach to their recruitment will also continue. However, the shortage of Resource Management Planners will still be apparent, and hopefully, we can overcome this. Getting to know a recruiter who is working in this space and might make these tough times that little bit easier.
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