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.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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