03 February 2015
Building and Housing Minister, the Hon. Nick Smith, last month stood in front of 80,000 pages of printed regulations and blamed the Resource Management Act for slowing the development of new housing.
“Not a single official understands” RMA rules, Dr Smith said, who also holds the office of Minister for the Environment – the office responsible for resource management legislation.
Some of the country’s senior planners disagree and say the RMA need not be a scapegoat. Existing accords and regulations are doing plenty for housing, the planners say.
Calling for a national policy statement on urban land supply, former CEO of two city councils and former NZ Planning Institute (NZPI) President Leigh Auton said RMA reform won’t mean more homes spring up ...
