Environment Minister Nick Smith will this week outline the approach and timing for a further attempt to reform the Resource Management Act after minor parties blocked a bill from progressing in the last Parliament because of its proposals to strengthen economic development priorities.
Smith, who is also Minister of Building and Construction, told Radio New Zealand's 'Morning Report' programme that some of the reforms would seek to ease the cost of house construction. His comments followed the release overnight of the 11th Demographia report on housing affordability in nine developed countries: Australia, Canada, China, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the US, showing Auckland to be less affordable than cities like New York and Los Angeles.
"There is no question that the Resource Management Act is not working in delivering New Zealanders affordable housing, particularly in places like Auckland," Smith told RNZ. "It's an issue I've given a great deal of thought over the summer break and in reading and I will be giving a speech on Wednesday setting out government thinking on direction in that area."
He indicated the RMA reforms would be couched in terms of the need to replace Special Housing Area legislation, which was introduced as a stop-gap measure to allow faster designation of land for housing in urban areas facing pressure, such as Auckland and Christchurch.
"That legislation expires in 2016," said Smith. "The government has always made plain that the Special Housing Areas legislation is short term intervention in dealing with RMA problems. We've always made plain that there would be a second phase of RMA reform. It is absolutely critical if we are to change the track of house prices that is having such an impact."
