Latest news with #Bishop
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
Work stalls on ORC's new air plan
Smoke from overnight fires hangs heavy in the frigid air above North East Valley in 2022. PHOTO: GERARD O'BRIEN Work has stopped on new rules for home heating to manage and improve air quality in the region, the Otago Regional Council has confirmed. Chief executive Richard Saunders confirmed at a council meeting in Oamaru yesterday work on the council's new air plan had stopped as a result of Resource Management Act (RMA) Reform Minister Chris Bishop's direction last week that council planning should stop until the new RMA legislation takes effect. On the day Mr Bishop broke the news to councillors and mayors attending the Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) conference in Christchurch, Mr Saunders said the council welcomed the announcement from the minister "and the clarity it brings in light of upcoming resource management reforms". However, he said staff were still working through the implications on the council's work programme. Yesterday, regional planning and transport general manager Anita Dawe said no other work programmes at the council would be stopped after Mr Bishop's announcement. "Given the recent clear direction from Minister Bishop, staff have stopped work on the formal air plan process," Ms Dawe said. "Work on the air strategy is expected to continue subject to further direction from councillors. "The final and detailed direction [of the plan] was still to be finalised. However, the broad direction was to put in place rules that improved air quality, in particular around domestic home heating." She said the plan was no longer due to be notified next year. Three policy staff, one science staff member, and additional staff who had been working on the air plan would be redeployed to other projects, she said. Mr Bishop's office told the Otago Daily Times last week proposed plans that had a hearing date scheduled within five days of the enactment of the government's plan-stop legislation, expected next month, should continue.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Mixed Reaction As Councils Told To Halt Planning Work
The Government's call to halt planning work has taken North Canterbury council leaders by surprise. Resource Management Act (RMA) Reform Minister Chris Bishop has put a stop to councils working on District and Regional Plans until the new RMA legislation takes effect. ''Rather than let these pricey, pointless planning and policy processes play out, we will be giving councils clarity on where to focus their efforts while they await the new planning system,'' Mr Bishop said at the Local Government NZ conference in Christchurch last week. The shake-up of the RMA is expected to come into effect in 2027. The Waimakariri District Council recently completed its District Plan, and barring any Environment Court appeals, it will become operative next month. But the Hurunui and Kaikōura district councils are just starting out on their District Plan reviews. Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon said he welcomed any initiative which streamlines planning processes and reduces the financial and capacity burdens on councils. ''However, it's essential that these changes still allow for meaningful local decision-making. ''Our recently notified District Plan represents a major investment in the future of our district, built on years of dedicated work and community engagement. ''Growth is important, but it must not come at any cost. We need development that is sustainable, well-planned, and aligned with the aspirations of our residents.'' Mr Gordon said local voices must remain central to local planning. Hurunui District Council chief executive Hamish Dobbie said his council welcomed the pause, but he would seek some clarity around potential plan changes. ''We have held off doing it (the District Plan review) on the basis this (new legislation) was coming up and we didn't want to waste the effort.'' The Kaikōura District Council has been working through a review of its District Plan, which was adopted in 2008. Council chief executive Will Doughty said the announcement will stifle the council's attempts to make changes to benefit the community. ''We have just awarded a contract to our consultants to work on the first two or three chapters. ''We always knew reform was under way, but we took an approach to respond to the needs of our community, while being flexible enough to review and respond to any changes.'' Mr Doughty said the council faced criticism that the ''rules are prohibitive'', so it was keen to update the plan. Mr Bishop said money is wasted on planning review processes, which is required under the existing RMA. ''The Government will suspend councils' mandatory RMA requirements to undertake plan and regional policy statement reviews every ten years, and the requirement to implement national planning standards.'' Mr Bishop said there will be some exemptions, including private plan changes and natural hazards planning. It means Cargill Station Ltd will be able to proceed with its private plan change to sub-divide sections in the Ocean Ridge development, south of Kaikōura, but the council may not be able to make any changes. Other council leaders from around the country expressed frustration, following Mr Bishop's address, at not being able to make changes to fix any planning issues, while private developers are still able to submit plan change requests.
Scoop
2 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Fast-Track On Track To Help Deliver Infrastructure
It's been nearly six months since the Fast-track Approvals system opened for business, and updated statistics show the one-stop shop is on track to make it quicker and easier to build the projects New Zealand needs for economic growth, RMA Reform and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones say. 'The Fast-track Approvals Act, part of the coalition agreement between National and NZ First, was signed into law just before Christmas and opened for project applications on 7 February this year,' Mr Bishop says. 'The Act helps cut through the tangle of red and green tape and the jumble of approvals processes that has, until now, held New Zealand back from much-needed economic growth. 'In Fast-track's first six months, more than 50 projects have made applications. We expect the first eight projects to have completed the full end-to-end Fast-track process including final consent decisions by the end of this year.' Projects before Expert Panels 'The Fast-track Approvals Act contains a list of 149 projects which, from 7 February, have been able to apply to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) for consideration by an expert panel. The expert panels consider each application, decide whether or not each project receives approval, and attach any necessary conditions to those approvals,' Mr Bishop says. 'Since 7 February when the Fast-track one-stop shop approvals regime officially opened for project applications, we've seen good progress for a range of applications for projects that, if approved, will help address our infrastructure deficit, housing crisis, and energy shortage, instead of tying essential projects up in knots for years at a time as so often happens under the RMA. 'Eight projects are now before expert panels for consideration, with the first expert panels' final decisions expected by mid-September this year. These projects, if approved, will contribute billions of dollars to New Zealand's economy and create thousands of jobs.' Projects before the Panel Convenor 'The Panel Convenor will shortly establish expert panels for a further six projects that have lodged substantive applications,' Mr Jones says. 'Projects currently before the Panel Convenor include expansions to Kings Quarry and Drury Quarry. These quarries provide much-needed aggregate which supports the construction of major infrastructure projects. 'It is heartening to see applications for mining and quarrying projects working their way through the system.' Project referrals 'Projects not listed in the Act can also apply for referral into the Fast-track process,' Mr Bishop says. 'These applications go first to me as Infrastructure Minister for consideration, which includes inviting written comments from the Minister for the Environment and any other Ministers with relevant portfolios, before deciding whether to refer the project for Fast-track. 'To date I have referred seven projects to the Fast-track process, meaning they can now submit substantive applications to the EPA. 'The latest three referrals are Stage 2 of the Auckland Surf Park community which would include a large artificial intelligence data centre, a residential development of about 400 homes, and a village centre; the Waitākere District Court's new courthouse project; and The Point Mission Bay which would see 252 new retirement homes and amenities for residents and visitors. 'Other projects have also applied to me for referral into Fast-track, including from the renewable energy, housing and infrastructure sectors. 16 of these applications are under consideration or being circulated to other Ministers for feedback. Decisions will be made in due course.' Note: Fast-track project statuses to date: Expert Panels are currently considering: · Bledisloe North wharf and Fergusson North Berth Extension · Delmore (residential) · Maitahi Village (residential) · Milldale (residential development) · Tekapo Power Scheme (power scheme consent renewal) · Waihi North (mining extension) · Drury Metropolitan centre · Sunfield (residential development) Panel Convener will shortly appoint panels for: · Drury Quarry · King's Quarry extension · Rangitoopuni (residential and retirement units) · Ryans Road (industrial subdivision). · Stella Passage (wharf extension and related work) · Taranaki VTM (seabed mining) Six projects have been 'referred' into the Fast-track process by the Minister for Infrastructure: · Auckland Surf Park · Waitākere District Court – New Courthouse Project · The Point Mission Bay (retirement village) · Ashbourne (residential and retirement units) · Ayrburn Screen Hub · Gordonton Country Estate Development · Grampians Solar Project
Scoop
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Environment Canterbury's Chair Rebuffs Government's Directive To Stop Planning
Councils have been urged "not to stop the planning" despite the government saying plan changes are a waste of ratepayers' money. Environment Canterbury (ECan) chairperson Craig Pauling said the work of local government still needs to continue. ''At ECan we've already been impacted by stops to planning and I am personally disappointed some good things in our Regional Policy Statement, which would have made a difference, can't happen.'' The policy statements provide an overview of resource management issues in a region. Resource Management Act (RMA) Reform Minister Chris Bishop this week announced the government would halt changes to district and regional plans. It comes ahead of a shake-up of the RMA, which is expected to come into effect in 2027. Pauling made his comments during a panel discussion at the Local Government NZ conference on Thursday, July 17. ''I would encourage you not to stop the planning. Don't stop thinking. You've got to do the analysis. ''Keep the thinking going, so when things do land you are in the best position.'' ECan voted in November to put its RPS on hold until January 2026, while it awaits more certainty with RMA reform. It has been unable to adopt a plan change to fix issues in the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan, following a Supreme Court decision on a water bottling plant in Christchurch in 2023. The future makeup of councils There has been speculation the RMA reform could lead to regional councils being scrapped, but both Bishop and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour said no decision had been made. Bishop, who met with regional council chairs during the conference, indicated an announcement was likely by the end of the year. Pauling said it made sense to consider the shape of local government alongside the RMA reform, as regional councils came into being in 1989, in anticipation of the RMA, which was enacted in 1991. He admitted there were flaws with the present model, as local and regional councils didn't always work together. ''My personal view is separating land-use between city and regional councils was wrong. We've had so many occasions when land-use has been consented non-notified and then it needs water table allocations (from the regional council).'' LGNZ passed a remit at its annual general meeting calling for a review of local government functions and governance arrangements. Its chief executive Susan Freeman-Greene said local government needed to be proactive and lead the changes required. Under existing legislation there are only two alternatives for regional government - regional councils and unitary authorities. Speaking to Local Democracy Reporting, Pauling said more options were needed, as different regions had different challenges. Canterbury is much larger than other regions, has more braided rivers and catchments, a centrally located population and sparsely populated districts such as Kaikōura, Hurunui, Mackenzie and Waimate. ''We need to be having the conversation and asking the questions. Would Kaikōura and Waimate survive as unitary authorities?'' Splitting the region into three - North, Mid and South Canterbury has been mooted - but Pauling thinks it would be ''problematic''. South Canterbury would likely be the largest unitary authority in the country in terms of geography, but with a population of only 60,000. The Hurunui district alone is the same size as Taranaki and half the size of Auckland, but with a much smaller population. A Christchurch or Greater Christchurch unitary authority has also been mooted, but questions have been raised about whether the rest of Canterbury would have a sufficient ratepayer base to manage regional council functions. Pauling said he believed it would be ''unworkable''. Another option, which ECan councillors considered at a recent workshop, was a Canterbury or South Island Assembly. This was based on the Greater Manchester model, where the existing local councils could continue and the mayors or council representatives and Mana Whenua representatives could form an assembly to make regional decisions. Whatever is decided, Pauling said local communities need to be involved in the decision making ''or it wouldn't fly''.
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Govt's $6b announcement has nothing new
By Nick James of RNZ The Labour Party is pouring cold water on the government's latest announcement that $6 billion worth of infrastructure work will start before Christmas. Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop on Sunday said billions of dollars' worth of significant plans would get underway in the coming months. Those projects included the Hutt Valley Te Whare Ahuru Acute Mental Health Unit, interim works for the State Highway 22 Drury Corridor Upgrade and the Brougham Street upgrade in Christchurch. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said that it was really important to start infrastructure projects before Christmas to help get people into work. "There's a lot of work to do, we are coming out of a three-year recession, we have made some progress in the first quarter, but we have to drive growth, growth, growth," he told Morning Report. Luxon said the government was doing everything it could to get infrastructure underway through measures such as RMA reform and fast track legislation. But Labour's Infrastructure spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said all the projects the government identified had previously been announced, some by the last government, before being put on hold. He told Morning Report the infrastructure sector needed certainty of not just projects that had been announced but new projects. "A bit of certainty to keep their jobs, keep people in work or attract them back." Luxon said with regard to Labour's record he recalled a hospital project which he said was launched in 2018 which had not started. "You can talk about projects, or you can do them and our record on projects is really good." High interest rates caused by high inflation under the last government's watch made it hard for construction businesses because they had to borrow money for development, Luxon said. Infrastructure New Zealand's Nick Leggett said after a year of layoffs there were signs of confidence returning, but the sector needed consistency. "What we have got to ensure is that pipeline doesn't pause, that irrespective of future changes, economic changes, changes in government, we need stronger commitments from both sides of Parliament to keep projects going," he said. Leggett said that included improving already built infrastructure and new projects. Bishop said there were almost $4b of roading projects in the list of work getting underway, including the Ōtaki to north of Levin expressway, the Melling interchange, the Waihoehoe Road upgrade, and the new Ōmanawa bridge on SH29. The projects would create thousands of jobs and lift productivity by getting people and freight to their destinations quickly and safely, Bishop said.
