1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:01,599 Speaker 1: RMA Reform. It's happening. 2 00:00:01,760 --> 00:00:04,200 Speaker 2: The Bill will be replaced, sorry, the Act, I should say, 3 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 2: will be replaced with a Planning Bill and a Natural 4 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 2: Environment Bill. They will be introduced to the House before 5 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:12,879 Speaker 2: Christmas and should be in place next year. It will 6 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:16,000 Speaker 2: halve the number of projects that will need consent. Basically, 7 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 2: the government has decided that nobody should regulate. No government 8 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:21,079 Speaker 2: should regulate whether or not you have a balcony or 9 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 2: how your. 10 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:23,440 Speaker 1: House is laid out on the inside. 11 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,240 Speaker 2: Let's go to Chris Biship, who is the RMA Minister, 12 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:29,640 Speaker 2: and mister good evening, Good evening, can you just give us. 13 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:32,879 Speaker 1: An example of and maybe that was one, but give us. 14 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:36,599 Speaker 3: An example for people at home how this will affect them, 15 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:38,080 Speaker 3: How will they benefit? 16 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 4: The simple point is it will be easier to do 17 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 4: things to your property that when you don't affect other people. 18 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:46,839 Speaker 4: Give you a couple of examples. I know of a 19 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 4: house and development down in christ Church where the house 20 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:51,279 Speaker 4: and developer went along to the council and said, you know, 21 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:54,640 Speaker 4: here's the houses we want to build. They spent hours 22 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 4: and days and endless amounts of money arguing with the 23 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 4: council about which way the front door faced. The council said, well, 24 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 4: in christ Church we want the front door to face 25 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 4: the street because we've got a very neighborly community here, 26 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 4: which all sounds fine. So they make the house have 27 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 4: the front door face the street. And then same council, 28 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:16,759 Speaker 4: different planner, same housing developer a few months later said, 29 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:19,480 Speaker 4: in a different part of town, oh, by the way, 30 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 4: we want we want your house where the front door 31 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 4: needs to face away from the street, because in christ 32 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 4: Church we value our seclusion in our privacy. It's that 33 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 4: sort of stupidity, frankly, that drives people up the wall 34 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 4: and it's causing him endless amounts of red tape. Give 35 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 4: you another example of my own electorate of Huts South. 36 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:40,960 Speaker 4: The guy just wanted to simply replace his garage. He's 37 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 4: spent nine months arguing with the Hut City Council about 38 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:48,279 Speaker 4: literally replacing his garage because the council decided they didn't 39 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 4: like the way the garage looked. It's this sort of 40 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 4: stuff that just drives people up the wall, and it 41 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 4: will be out of the scope of the new system. 42 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 3: Right, So that's how you do it. Because, as you said, 43 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 3: you've got idiot planners. How do you stop them? From 44 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:04,880 Speaker 3: trying to make people do dumb things with their houses 45 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 3: and their doors and their garages. Do you just say 46 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 3: you no longer have the power to even talk about that. 47 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 4: Yes. So the new law that we've introduced to Parliament 48 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 4: today get its first riting next week, will say that 49 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 4: things that are internal to your site are off limits 50 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:21,840 Speaker 4: for the planning system. So if you have an effect 51 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:23,800 Speaker 4: on somebody else, that's fair enough. So you know, if 52 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 4: I set up an industrial effluent factory on my property 53 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:28,639 Speaker 4: and it has a runoff to the next door, well, 54 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:31,079 Speaker 4: that has an effect on somebody else. But which way 55 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 4: my front door faces, which way the living room faces, 56 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 4: where the TV is in the living room, there's another 57 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 4: real life example where planners have got involved in which 58 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 4: way the TV faces and the layout of the living room. 59 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:45,640 Speaker 4: That stuff sorry off limits. It's not a function of 60 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:47,840 Speaker 4: the planning system. It's a decision for you and your family. 61 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:49,639 Speaker 4: It's not a function of a local council planner. 62 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: Are there exemptions to that? 63 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:54,240 Speaker 3: If your house is in a heritage area or something, 64 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 3: are there exemptions? 65 00:02:56,840 --> 00:03:01,239 Speaker 4: So we've lifted the bar for historic heritage. I think 66 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 4: most people would agree, or I think many people would 67 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,960 Speaker 4: agree anyway that heritage laws have gone too far. I 68 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:08,760 Speaker 4: mean here in Wellington we've got the example of the 69 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:10,799 Speaker 4: Gordon Wilson Flats, you know, on the terrace there, which 70 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 4: is a you know, has sat there for twenty years. 71 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 4: It's an earthquake prone building, it's heritage listed, nobody can 72 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:17,639 Speaker 4: do anything with it. We had to pass a special 73 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 4: law through Parliament to allow the vick you need to 74 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:22,399 Speaker 4: demolish it, which they're about to do before Christmas, which 75 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,360 Speaker 4: was good. There's another example out again in Wellington, but 76 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 4: out by the airport, where there's a gas tank literally 77 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 4: a gas tank which has heritage protection on it and 78 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:33,959 Speaker 4: no one can demolish it or do anything with it. 79 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 4: And I understand that wants to be a commercial development 80 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 4: and it's a gas tank like you know. Seriously, So 81 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 4: I think people sort of think the laws have gone 82 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 4: too far. So it is important to protect historic heritage, 83 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 4: but the bar will be lifted, so we'll be protecting 84 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:49,880 Speaker 4: significant historic heritage, not generic heritage. And then we'll also 85 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 4: be saying that when councils do do that and it 86 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 4: has an impact on the value of property, you know, 87 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:57,840 Speaker 4: such that it diminishes the value of what you can 88 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 4: and can't do with your property, and they'll need to 89 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 4: find some form of regulatory relief for that. And I 90 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 4: think that's an important message as well. 91 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 3: The significant natural areas have been a big boner contention 92 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:10,040 Speaker 3: for landowners for a long time now, and you're going 93 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 3: to lower the threshold for people getting compensation, so the 94 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 3: council will have to provide some kind of relief to 95 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 3: a landowner if they want to impose restrictions. 96 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 4: Yeah, it's about recognizing that there are legitimate public policy 97 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:27,480 Speaker 4: goals in terms of significant natural areas. Biodiversity heritage is 98 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:31,680 Speaker 4: another example for example. But the system is essentially costless 99 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 4: for councils. So again, if I taking an example from 100 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 4: my own electric a few years ago, the Hut City 101 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:39,279 Speaker 4: Council decided that vast swades of Eastbourne we're going to 102 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 4: be subject to significant Natural areas. And everyone who lives 103 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 4: in Eastbourne, or most people got a letter from the 104 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 4: council through the post which said, oh, by the way, 105 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 4: here's your property, please turn over. And there were all 106 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 4: these big yellow markings on the property descriptions and some 107 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 4: people found that fifty to seventy eighty percent of their 108 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 4: property was subject to a significant natural area, which meant 109 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:00,880 Speaker 4: that they couldn't do things like subdivis or put even 110 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 4: in some cases a deck out the back and things 111 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:05,280 Speaker 4: like that. So I think people rightly say, well, hang 112 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 4: on a minute. You know, I'm all in favor of 113 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:12,880 Speaker 4: protecting biodiversity and significant areas of environmental protection, but there 114 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:14,839 Speaker 4: has to be a recognition that that has an impact 115 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:18,000 Speaker 4: on me and has an impact on my family and 116 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:20,840 Speaker 4: my property. So it's about redressing the balance a bit 117 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:22,920 Speaker 4: and saying if you can do that, but you can 118 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:24,400 Speaker 4: do that, but there's a cost of that. 119 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 3: Minister very quickly. Is Labor on board with all of 120 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:28,320 Speaker 3: this or are they going to get in and do 121 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 3: what you did and turf it out. 122 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:32,200 Speaker 4: Let's wait and see. We've had quite a lot of 123 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:34,720 Speaker 4: engagement with them over the last year or so. I've 124 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 4: had a number of meetings with Labor and they've had 125 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:38,839 Speaker 4: a full briefing on it. It's getting its first reading 126 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:40,800 Speaker 4: next week, so they'll have a chance to digest it 127 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:43,160 Speaker 4: over the course of this week. I would encourage them 128 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:45,320 Speaker 4: to vote for it at least at first reading, send 129 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 4: it to a select committee. We're prepared to meet in 130 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,560 Speaker 4: the middle on a few things, because I think it's 131 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:52,800 Speaker 4: an everyone's interest, in fact, the country's interest, that we 132 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:55,159 Speaker 4: have stability in terms of planning. This is a once 133 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:57,000 Speaker 4: in a generation reform. We want to do this once, 134 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 4: we want to do it right, and we want to 135 00:05:58,400 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 4: see this on the path to prosperity. 136 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 1: Chris rm I, ministered. 137 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:04,640 Speaker 2: For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, Listen live to 138 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 2: News Talks it B from four pm weekdays, or follow 139 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:09,599 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.