Following 39738 (2026), what was the crux of the advice on the "potential exclusion" of "metaphysical matters and spiritual matters"?

Answer

Officials from the former Ministry for the Environment (now the Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport) provided me and Under-Secretary Court with advice that the exclusion of spiritual or metaphysical effects was not necessary, as the proposed planning system already significantly restricts the consideration of broad effects compared with the Resource Management Act 1991. This advice noted that excluding these effects would involve significant risks, particularly (but not only) for Māori interests and Treaty settlements. It also noted that metaphysical effects would be particularly difficult to define in legislation and could create uncertainty about how the system operates.