Water allocation and storage separate from RMA review - Key

National will separate out water allocation and storage issues from its review of the Resource Management Act, Prime Minister-elect John Key said this afternoon.

Speaking to Federated Farmers in Wellington, Mr Key said the decision was made to ensure the review did not get bogged down and delayed.

The review was one of Mr Key's goals to be done in the first 100 days in government.

Other priorities included tax cuts, a transitional relief package to face the economic slowdown, and bills dealing with violent offenders, criminal gangs and youth crime, DNA testing for every person arrested for an imprisonable offence and increased police powers to protect domestic violence victims.

In his speech at Te Papa today, Mr Key said United Future and ACT had promised to support the 100-day plan.

"Top of the list almost, outside of our tax cut programme, is reform of the Resource Management Act," he said.

"You can take confidence that reform of the RMA is going to take place, we want that legislation progressing quickly and we want to make sure within six months...there will be a new RMA."

He said the water issues were contentious and he decided they should be taken to "one side".

"I think that's far too complex to put in the RMA for a bill that we want to have passed within six months," he later told NZPA.

"If you are going to eat an elephant it's better to do it bite by bite and so I think we just start with the trunk and we'll move on to some other bits later on."

Federated Farmers president Don Nicolson said Mr Key had left no doubt that farmers were at the core of the new government's plans to get the economy out of recession.

"Federated Farmers can confidently sit down with his new ministers...we look forward to discussing the review of the emissions trading scheme, reform of the RMA, protection of property rights and infrastructure," Mr Nicolson said.

"It is clear he is well briefed and informed and has put to us a clear path."