Manukau Businesses Asked How Government Can Reduce Compliance Costs

Manukau businesses have the opportunity to tell the government how they think compliance costs can be reduced.

A series of regional meetings throughout New Zealand is being organised by the Ministerial Panel on Business Compliance Costs to discuss compliance cost issues and to consider solutions. There are two meetings being held in Auckland at the Auckland Conference Centre, Greenlane on 26 March, and at the Albany Executive Inn on 2 April.

The government established the Panel last year in an effort to reduce the amount of time business people spend dealing with government rather than doing what they do best - business. Alan Dunn, CEO of McDonald's, is chairing the panel of 11 business people whose role is to provide advice to government on ways to reduce the compliance costs to business arising from existing central and local government regulation.

The Manukau City Council and Enterprising Manukau are urging business people to attend these meetings and let the panel know their views on compliance cost issues.

Gaelle Deighton, Chief Executive of Enterprising Manukau says, “This panel is the mouthpiece for business to government on priorities for compliance cost reduction. Now is Manukau’s opportunity to put our views across and make suggestions for change.”

In response to disquiet expressed by Manukau businesses on this issue, Manukau City Council’s Manukau Consents unit is already making steps to reduce compliance costs. These include:

* Simplifying building and resource consent processes
* Holding workshops with major customers to identify improvements to service
* Establishing a Land Development and Building Co-ordinator role. The creation of this role has allowed developments to proceed ahead of 224 certification, resulting in significant savings in holding costs for land developers and building companies
* Introducing enhanced self-certification for building consents and compliance
* Investigations into undertaking sanitary and stormwater connection inspected during one site visit. This may lead to up to a reduction of charges by 50%.

ENDS

Gabrielle Hinton
Communications Unit
Phone: 09 2628900 x 8650
Fax: 09 2625759
email: ghinton@manukau.govt.nz

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