Kate Wilkinson
National Party MP

15 June 2006

Door left open for frivolous and vexatious RMA objections

National MP Kate Wilkinson says she is disappointed her Member’s Bill aimed at preventing frivolous and vexatious claims from holding up the resource consent process has been rejected by Parliament.

“This bill provided an opportunity to fix some of the problems in the Resource Management Act by empowering the Environment Court to require any party to provide security for costs.

“If a claim is deemed to be spurious then claimants should be ordered to put their money where there mouth is and provide security for costs. People making reasonable claims had nothing to fear from this amendment.

“I was particularly disappointed not to have the support of NZ First and United Future, because both parties were originally and vehemently in favour of orders for security for costs.

“The Government cannot pretend to be serious about fixing the road congestion problems in Auckland and the crisis in electricity infrastructure when it is not prepared to make any changes to the RMA to ensure these big problems can be fixed.

“The bill was about preventing injustice. It is an injustice to allow frivolous objectors to use standover tactics and pervert the course of justice knowing they cannot be touched.

“The message from this vote is that only by electing a National government will the problems of vexatious and frivolous objectors in the RMA be fixed,” says Ms Wilkinson.

ENDS

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