Mayor Supports RMA Reform

North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams “supports the RMA reform being proposed by Government. In particular I am extremely pleased that the review will include the removal of frivolous, vexatious and anti-competitive objections.”

"The Pak n’ Save Supermarket saga has been going on for more than 15 years now" says Mayor Williams. "It is one of the longest running legal battles in New Zealand's commercial retail history with Progressive Enterprises (Countdown/Foodtown/Woolworths) using every legal angle in the book, including the RMA ,to stop healthy competition. Unfortunately it has been the North Shore consumer, our residents, who have suffered from the lengthy delay in opening this supermarket. They have been denied the opportunity to have a PAK 'N SAVE located in the centre of our city, in an area which will benefit immensely from having New Zealand's lowest cost supermarket operator servicing the community."

“The Fox Outlet Centre in Northcote was another case in point where anti-competitive objections were rolled out over many years of litigation to stop this discount centre from opening. I have been a strong supporter of both developments and greatly welcome this review of the RMA which will hopefully remove the Act from being abused for commercial self interest.” says Mayor Williams.

“I also hope there will be mechanisms put in place to streamline resource consent processes, large and small, and cut out some of the red-tape bureaucracy that has held New Zealand back in so many areas of development. The new Northern Toll Road took twice as long to get the paperwork done as it did to actually build it. This sort of nonsense has to be reined in so that future major projects such as the next Waitemata Harbour Crossing or the Waterview Connection for the Western Ring Route do not take for ever and day to execute. “

“New Zealand needs to lift its game dramatically, so this RMA review is long overdue in order to get our country moving along more efficiently. We are sliding down the OECD ladder and the RMA has a lot to do with this decline in New Zealand’s competitiveness.”

ENDS

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