AUCKLAND COUNCIL LOOK SET TO REDUCE SCOPE OF 'TANIWHA TAX'

MONDAY 9 NOVEMBER 2015

The Taxpayers’ Union Is welcoming the expected reduction in the number of properties affected by Auckland Council's Mana Whenua provisions in the Council’s Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan. The provisions, which are already in effect, are believed to affect around 18,000 properties and have required those wanting to change the use of their land to consult with one or more of 18 recognised iwi groups to ensure the change does not affect their spiritual values or an historic site.

In April the Taxpayers’ Union joined the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance, Democracy Action and the Auckland Property Investors’ Association, to launch a briefing paper on what the groups label the ‘Taniwha Tax’.

Taxpayers' Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, says:

“The Council is rightly buckling under public pressure to fix this corruption of the planning process. As exposed in the Taniwha Tax report, these provisions abandon the usual due-process of planning rules, have no predictability and even allow iwi groups to effectively decline a consent for spiritual or religious reasons.”

“While we would welcome a reduction in the number of sites affected, this is frankly a cop-out. According to many of Auckland's infrastructure providers the provisions are unfixable and should be scrapped. At the very least the Council should visit and verify the properties — as far as we know they still haven't.”

The Taniwha Tax: Briefing paper on Auckland Council’s new Mana Whenua rules is available to download here. To find out whether your property is affected by the provisions, click here.

ENDS

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