Councils threatened with BIG STICK over RMA woes
June 22nd, 2009
Eight councils predominantly in rural areas including Environment Canterbury, have been warned an administrator could be sent in to run them if they do not improve their resource consent times. Environment Minister, Nick Smith, says while he is “reluctant” to use his powers under the Resource Management Act (RMA), he will do so if the councils do not get their acts together. The councils singled out by Smith are: Whakatane; Auckland City; Carterton; Waimate; Far North; Manukau City; Westland; and Environment Canterbury.
Smith says he has written to the eight councils pointing out he has powers under the RMA to send in an administrator to run them if they can not obey the law. He singled out Environment Canterbury for particular criticism saying it is “hopeless” at processing all types of consents. While it had difficult issues to deal with over water usage, it also failed in other resource consents. Dr Smith says the eight councils have to show him they have a plan to improve their performance within 60 days.
The Minister says the delays cost millions of dollars and he wants improvements. Too many councils are automatically granting themselves extensions to deadlines and he wants this power limited. Smith says he wrote to the councils last week following the release of the two-yearly report on local authorities’ administration of the RMA. Smith says the report tells a sorry story of delay, frustration and unnecessary costs for more than 16,000 people whose consents last year were not processed within the legal timeframe. This problem has gotten progressively worse over the past decade.
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