Todd McClay: Let's cut through some of that red tape

Rotorua MP Todd McClay

Your chance to change those frustrating rules that waste our time, get in the way of good decisions, and generally don't help the engine go faster. This is the same whether they come from Wellington or are designed by local government.

I know that our mayor and Rotorua District Council are as frustrated as I am about this. In fact, over the last seven years as your MP, thousands of you have told me about the rules and regulations that annoy you the most. Some of them are important, but many of them can and must be changed.

That's why I've invited the Rules Reduction Taskforce to Rotorua this week.

The meeting will be held in the Rimu Room at the Distinction Hotel on May 13 at 5.30pm, and will offer Rotorua people an opportunity to constructively raise issues and concerns about rules and regulations that they consider to be unnecessary in the property and housing sector.

The taskforce is encouraging property owners, builders, tradespeople and business owners to come and share their experiences on rules that are crying out for sensible change.

A level of bureaucracy is always required when dealing with central government or local councils. However, over time, we've seen pieces of legislation come into force with good intentions, but end up being confusing, onerous and costly, while failing to deliver any benefit to the property owner or the wider public.

The Rules Reduction Taskforce was created last year by the Minister of Local Government to listen to the concerns of property owners. This includes individual homeowners and investors as well as builders and others involved with development and construction in all parts of the country.

The Taskforce is co-chaired by the Parliamentary Private Secretary for Local Government, Jacqui Dean MP, and Michael Barnett who is the chief executive of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Both, along with other members of the Taskforce, bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in dealing with local issues.

The meeting will give local people a chance to have their voice heard on a range of issues, including interaction with local and central government agencies, the planning and RMA stages of building, roading, water, waste, environmental protection and other infrastructural decisions.

The Taskforce will then work closely with Local Government New Zealand, representatives of the trades and the public to ensure the processes around building and owning a property are as simple and effective as possible.

It's important local people have their say. People who aren't able to attend the meeting on Wednesday will still be able to have their say on annoying rules. People are able to submit their concerns and ideas to be considered by the taskforce online via the website www.govt.nz/rulesreduction.

Verbal and written submissions will be assessed by Panel members with recommendations made to Government about how best to make rules and regulations work better for New Zealanders.

This offers an important opportunity for people in Rotorua to have their say. It's a chance to raise issues with those rules and regulations that annoy you and make suggestions about better ways to help home owners around the country.

I encourage you to come along and have a say about how to make rules set by central and local government work better for local people.

For more information on the meeting or the Taskforce, please contact my Rotorua electorate office on (07) 348 5871.

-Todd McClay is the MP for Rotorua.