The Fish and Game Council has told a parliamentary committee proposed changes to the Resource Management Act could come at the expense of the environment.
The bill introduces a six-month deadline for resource consent applications for medium-sized projects such as new subdivisions, retail and industrial developments, and infrastructure.
A Fish and Game manager, Neil Deans, told the local government and environment committee on Thursday the bill introduces a specified focus on economic growth and employment.
"... that will completely tilt the playing field to focusing on those things at the exclusion of the wider breadth, that is currently required."
Mr Deans says the legislation enables access to freshwater but most of that resource has already been allocated under existing laws.
