1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,520 Speaker 1: So we've got our first look at the proposed RMA reform, 2 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:05,520 Speaker 1: and it is significant. Around twelve hundred planning zones in 3 00:00:05,559 --> 00:00:08,760 Speaker 1: this country will now be reduced to seventeen. Councils will 4 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: be kept out of many building decisions on private properties, 5 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: and instead they will be expected to compensate homeowners for 6 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:18,080 Speaker 1: decisions like imposing heritage status. A key focus is on 7 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:20,880 Speaker 1: getting infrastructure built faster and cheaper, and on that subject, 8 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 1: Mike Fusures, the chief executive at Contact Energy. 9 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 2: Morning, Mic morning. 10 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:27,160 Speaker 1: See, I'm well, do you like what you see? 11 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 2: Absolutely? We think it is a well I termed it 12 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 2: a COVID type outbreak of common sense. It's going to 13 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 2: liberate this company country from a whole burden of bureaucracy 14 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:41,560 Speaker 2: and this complication. 15 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 1: What is more significant to you, is it saving money 16 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 1: on consents? Is it speeding up the consense or is 17 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:49,920 Speaker 1: it giving you the certainty that you're going to get. 18 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:53,440 Speaker 2: A yes, it's last two. It's that the consenting process 19 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 2: itself is expensive and very burdisome for small, smaller companies, 20 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 2: and we acknowledge that, but it's the pace, it is 21 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 2: a pace of building infrastructure we need to continue for 22 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 2: us we need to continue building condurable energy as quickly 23 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:09,880 Speaker 2: as we can to make up a short ull of 24 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 2: en generous country from the collapse of the gas industry. 25 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 2: We need pay Yeah, and. 26 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: How much faster do you think is going to make it? 27 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 2: I think it will take years off. But the critical 28 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 2: thing is where the devil is in the detail is 29 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:24,760 Speaker 2: the appeal rights, so that it doesn't once you've got 30 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 2: a consent, you're not then bogged into a bogged down 31 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 2: in a very lengthy court process. And so if we 32 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 2: have absolute clarity and clarity on that, this country has 33 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:36,679 Speaker 2: a one off opportunity to really get going. 34 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:38,960 Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, I mean what can you do about that though, 35 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: because that's that's a right to anyone, isn't it. 36 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:44,759 Speaker 2: What's that that's a being able to being. 37 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: Able to appeal that? 38 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 2: Well? No, the I think that the Look, there's a 39 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 2: couple of things which are important. That one is the 40 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 2: intent of the legislation is clear, so if anyone does 41 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,920 Speaker 2: wander off to court, judiciary have very clear direction about 42 00:01:56,920 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 2: where the intent of the legislation is. The second thing 43 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 2: is the number of interested parties. It's been restricted to 44 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 2: actually parties who don't have a passing interest or opinion. 45 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 2: We've all got opinions. It's parties who actually are affected, 46 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 2: and I think that's a critical It's not just every 47 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 2: curtain twitter that happens along. It's actually affected parties that 48 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 2: can have a comment. 49 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 1: So if you're wanting to build I don't know, I 50 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:26,920 Speaker 1: mean any one of you electricity generation projects, who are 51 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: you likely to have to go and speak to. 52 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:34,959 Speaker 2: So it's affected parties. So you will obviously you'll one 53 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:37,959 Speaker 2: first thing, you'll do the right thing. You'll be responsible, 54 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 2: you will take care of the biodiversity, you will make 55 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 2: sure you're doing the best thing as a good citizen. 56 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 2: That's number one. Number two, it's the affected parties who 57 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:51,959 Speaker 2: have a higher threshold of being affected. So it might 58 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 2: be neighbors, it might be if there's going to be 59 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 2: a bit of noise during construction that you have to 60 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:59,639 Speaker 2: go and talk to people are affected by that. But 61 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 2: it's not someone four hundred miles down the road in 62 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:06,080 Speaker 2: Wellington who's just got an opinion that your solar farm 63 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:07,840 Speaker 2: or wind farm shouldn't be built. 64 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, fair point, Mike. One of the estimations was that 65 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: we spend about one point three billion dollars each year 66 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: and this is just on infrastructure trying to get these consents. 67 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:19,800 Speaker 1: Does that numbers sound about right to you? 68 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:24,480 Speaker 2: That sounds quite accurate, But I think there is a 69 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 2: much larger loss in the speed and the imposition that 70 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 2: the absolute snail's pace we take to get infrastructure through. 71 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 2: Look when I started as a CEO in Australia, I 72 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 2: got a consent for a solar farm in six weeks, 73 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 2: and now solar farms in this country look as though 74 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 2: they're going to take the best part of two years 75 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:50,200 Speaker 2: under the old legislation. This should break that open. For 76 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:53,839 Speaker 2: goodness sake, it's renewable energy. It is done with good 77 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:56,120 Speaker 2: and noble purpose. We should be celebrating this stuff. 78 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: Brilliant news. Mike, thank you so much, appreciate it's a 79 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: good day. Mike Fuse, Chief executive Officer of Contact Energy. 80 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 1: Heither please ask Chris Bishop what they're going to do 81 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 1: to stop the extortion by certain groups demanding money for 82 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:10,040 Speaker 1: consultational consents. Now, I think what Hamish is referring to 83 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: there as EWI I think this is a valid question 84 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: because if you've been following the story of IKEA, you'll 85 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:19,520 Speaker 1: know that the RMA consent required all the man offenda 86 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: were to come around and you know, do prayers and 87 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:23,040 Speaker 1: be there for the spades in the ground and all 88 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: that stuff, and Chris Bishop himself actually criticized that. So 89 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:28,080 Speaker 1: the question is is he putting a stop to it. 90 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 2: For more from The Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 91 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:34,599 Speaker 2: news talks that'd be from six am weekdays, or follow 92 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.