In 2015 the government asked the Productivity Commission to look at ways to improve New Zealand’s planning system.
After 15 months of investigation, which included talking to people around the country and overseas, the commission has released its final report.
Key recommendations made by the Productivity Commission
- Replace the Resource Management Act with a new act that has separate objective and principles for the natural and built environment.
- Set clear environmental limits and standards – where development meets those standards there should be limited consenting/approvals required.
- Give councils better funding and financial tools to pay for the infrastructure needed
- Require councils to consider public-private partnerships for all significant local government infrastructure projects.
- Enable greater Māori participation through a new National Māori Advisory Board and a five-yearly Treaty of Waitangi audit of the planning system.
- Give councils more flexible consultation and engagement tools to talk with communities when developing plans
What happens next
The government needs to make decisions about which, if any, of the recommendations they want to pursue
While the council will not agree with every recommendation, it looks forward to working with the government on improving the planning system.
Read more about the Productivity Commission's report
