Scoop  Parliament

RMA Hindering New Zealand's Development

Environment Minister Marion Hobbs has described the RMA as `beautifully written and beautifully balanced' - what a joke, ACT New Zealand Deputy Leader Ken Shirley said today.

"ACT has long recognised the fact that our unwieldy planning laws pose the biggest obstacle to investment, wealth creation and more jobs for New Zealanders," Mr Shirley said.

"Labour's duplicity has been revealed this week, with legislation introduced to fast track the Project Aqua hydro scheme promoted by the Government's own company Meridian Energy in the lower Waitaki catchment.

"While it is clear that we certainly need additional generation capacity, why doesn't the Government remove the barriers for all infrastructural investments - including Auckland's motorways - rather than simply favouring its own companies with special exemptions and then insisting that others run the full RMA gauntlet?" Mr Shirley said.

© Scoop Media

 

Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines

Gordon Campbell: On How National’s ”New” Welfare Plan Resurrects A Past Failure

Sam Uffindell’s defenders keep reminding us that he was only 16 at the time of the King’s College incident, and haven’t we all done things in our teens that, as adults, we look back on with shame and embarrassment? True. Let's be honest. Haven’t we all at one time or another, joined a gang and beaten a smaller, younger kid black and blue with wooden clubs? In that respect, Uffindell’s defenders on the streets of Tauranga risk sounding a bit like the psychiatrist Kargol played by Graham Chapman on Monty Python. Some of the media commentary has also noted how the Uffindell saga has taken the shine off National’s good poll results and distracted us all from the unveiling of an important welfare policy at the recent National Patty conference. OK… So let's put the spotlight back on that welfare policy...
More>>