A decade-long effort pays off: New planning system enables use and development of property

Today is a turning point after three decades of Resource Management Act frustration. The new laws fix what matters in New Zealand with a property rights approach to planning and the environment. Enabling the use of property opens up opportunity for more affordable housing and better paying jobs connected together by more infrastructure.

ACT Leader David Seymour says the moment has been a long time coming.

“I campaigned to scrap the RMA in 2014. As a lone MP, I couldn’t get support for significant reform, let alone replacing the whole thing. So, I came back with ten more MPs including Simon Court.

“Simon is a Civil Engineer, he’s the only one in Parliament who’s actually managed a major project with a resource consent. Simon has driven the change at a detailed level and his contribution is enormous.

“Replacing the RMA is historic for ACT. More importantly, it is historic for New Zealanders. We have the greatest land on earth, but it’s too hard to build a place to live. Making development easier is the greatest opportunity we have to make New Zealand competitive, as a place people want to come to, and a place people want to stay.

“Thanks to ACT’s Coalition Commitments, the new system is based on property rights. People will be empowered to unlock the potential of their land; to build, invest, employ, and compete. All of the new system is driven by enabling the use and development of land, in fact that is the first goal in the new Planning Law.”

ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron says farmers have secured a major victory.

“For years, farmers have been weighed down by red tape, ideology, and rules that make no sense on the ground. The new system will let farmers farm, and will protect the right to use and enjoy your own slice of New Zealand.

“Landowners will be eligible for regulatory relief when council rules badly affect on-farm productivity. This shows real respect for the people who work the land.

“Consultation is being shifted from the consent stage to the planning phase. That means an end to interference from all and sundry over every resource consent, and an end to the extortion and standover tactics that have seen Kiwis cough up money to self-appointed kaitiaki and cultural consultants.

“The new framework respects that it is your land, and you should have the right to use it. That principle has guided ACT for years, and it is finally reflected in the law.”

ACT Housing and Infrastructure spokesman Cameron Luxton says the reforms will make it easier to build.

“The old system made everything harder and more expensive. The new system clears the way for homes to be built, for infrastructure to go ahead, and for investment to finally flow.

“More competition in construction and development means more affordable housing. Better consent processes mean infrastructure delivered on time and on budget. When it is easier for businesses to set up and expand, we get more supermarkets and more competition to lower prices at the checkout.

“For years dumb rules have held back builders, developers, and families trying to get ahead. ACT has pushed relentlessly for a planning system that gets out of the way and lets New Zealand grow. Today is a major step in that direction.”

Seymour says the replacement of the RMA is yet another example of ACT delivering on its promises.

“Whether it’s replacing the RMA, fixing earthquake regulations, allowing assisted dying, or standing up for licenced firearm owners, we take principled positions, we stick with them, and we do the work to deliver for the long haul.”