National committed to local growth
new-zealand-national-party
Thu Nov 17 2011 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
National committed to local growth
Thursday, 17 November 2011, 3:55 pm
Press Release: New Zealand National Party
Hon Craig Foss
National Party
Spokesman for Local Government
17 November 2011
Media Statement
National committed to local growth
A National-led Government will encourage regional economic growth by working with councils across regions to eliminate barriers for firms and businesses to grow and expand, Local Government spokesman Craig Foss announced today.
“National is committed to efficient local councils – ones which support a growing economy for the benefit of ratepayers and taxpayers,” says Mr Foss.
“National has already streamlined the Resource Management Act (RMA) and sped up the council consenting process. We will continue our reform of the RMA – including six-month time limits for decisions on regional-sized projects, and simplified planning processes – so councils and ratepayers have more certainty about issues that cross regional boundaries.
This, in addition to amending the Building Act to reduce compliance issues and time delays, will help New Zealand businesses get on with their work, and ordinary Kiwis get on with their lives.
“Labour doesn’t want Kiwis to enjoy having local councils working for them. Labour has consistently opposed improvements to the RMA National has introduced, including the requirement that councils pay for late consent processing,” says Mr Foss.
“Our plan is to have councils work with their communities to grow their economies. Local councils need to work to identify and address barriers to economic growth in their region to help create jobs and help get products to market more quickly.
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“Boosting exports and jobs means better wages and better living standards for New Zealand families, which is the part of the brighter future we all want,” says Mr Foss.
“This is why the National-led Government overhauled Auckland’s local government structure, as recommended by the Royal Commission, and established one council for the region. We’ve cut red tape and bureaucracy in the city, and Aucklanders are now seeing more unified planning and better council services.
“Amalgamating Auckland was the right thing to do for our largest city and economic powerhouse,” says Mr Foss. “However, we believe any further changes to local authorities need to be community-led.”
National will also keep working closely with Canterbury’s local councils in the recovery and rebuilding of the region’s infrastructure.
“Rebuilding Canterbury is a massive job,’ says Mr Foss. “We need a stable Government so the rebuild can get on without unnecessary delays or interruption, and so Cantabrians can have certainty about their future.”
A National-led Government will also continue to work with Cantabrians on the appropriate structure to replace the Commissioners appointed to Environment Canterbury.
Visit the policy at:
http://www.national.org.nz/PDF_General/Local_Government_policy.pdf
ENDS
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