Act New Zealand MP Simon Court was talking to the Otago Daily Times about the upcoming changes to the RMA as well as the present fast-track process.
He said councils for too long had restricted necessary development with unnecessary regulation.
‘‘Look, councils are the villain in many cases.
‘‘They are the ones that have imposed these crazy rules on people using their private property with these outstanding landscape overlays.
‘‘You drive out of the shopping complex near the airport at Queenstown and behind you is a Bunnings and Kmart and in front of you is a paddock full of rusting machinery.’’
Mr Court said the RMA in its present form had ‘‘enabled’’ councils to ‘‘be the villain’’.
‘‘In the new system we’re going to help councils by saying, ‘hey, look, if you want to do that the cost is going to be pretty high and you’re going to have to justify that to your ratepayers and we think in many cases they’ll say, ‘look, it’s not worth the cost’.’’
At the moment, too many projects were going through the fast-track process, and this was a sign the RMA was not fit for purpose, Mr Court said.
‘‘The place for housing developments which are not particularly complex should be a simplified smooth pathway through the new resource management system.
‘‘If we think the likes of the Remarkables ski area development, or maybe the Coronet Peak ski area development, when you’re up high on a mountain you’ve got conservation and other issues you need to take account of. That is what the Fast-track [Approvals Act] was designed for, but because the RMA is so broken it’s only logical that housing developers are choosing to pursue that avenue.’’
Too many housing projects in Queenstown in the past had been rejected because the council ruled there was insufficient infrastructure to sustain them, and this needed to be addressed, Mr Court said.
‘‘What concerns me is that perfectly legitimate housing projects get turned down on the current resource management system and the only possible way forward is to use fast-track,’’ he said.
‘‘Now I’m not familiar with all of the developments but I would say that the RMA has failed us. Fast-track is currently the relief valve, but the new resource management system is going to resolve to a very large extent the challenges these developers have had up until now.’’
Mr Court said the Infrastructure Funding and Financing Act update would allow developers to raise their own finance to fund and build their own infrastructure within a development or to connect to the council’s existing network or potentially upgrade the council’s existing network.
‘‘That means that councils will have few if any reasons to say no because there’s a lack of infrastructure.’’
A spokesman for the Queenstown Lakes District Council referred the ODT to a previous statement.
‘‘Queenstown Lakes District Council recognises the intent of the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024 to enable development and support economic growth.
‘‘However, the scale and pace of fast-track proposals within the district raise a number of important considerations in a local context. The district is already experiencing significant growth, with development across both existing zoned land and areas identified in the spatial plan progressing at a pace that is outstripping the delivery of key supporting infrastructure, particularly transport and water services.’’
The spokesman said without a co-ordinated, funded and staged infrastructure response, there was a risk growth could strain already constrained networks and affect the efficient functioning of the district.
‘‘Given the district’s role as a key tourism destination, ensuring that growth is well integrated and supported by resilient infrastructure is critical not only for local communities but also for the wider regional and national economy.’’
