12. CHRIS AUCHINVOLE (National—West Coast - Tasman) Link to this
to the Minister for the Environment
What new measures has the Government introduced to improve the efficiency of processing the approximately 50,000 consents per year under the Resource Management Act 1991?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister for the Environment) Link to this
Yesterday the Government’s new regulations to provide an incentive for councils to process consents in a timely way took effect. In the same way that ratepayers face financial penalties for late rate payments, councils now face a financial penalty for the late processing of resource consents. The penalty is a 1 percent discount to the consent applicant for each day over the 20 - working day statutory requirement, up to a maximum of 50 percent.
What data has the Minister received indicating deterioration in the performance of councils in processing resource consents?
Hon Dr NICK SMITH Link to this
Over the term of the previous Government, non-compliance with statutory time frames grew from 18 percent to 31 percent and, over the same period, the number of councils granting themselves extensions grew from 3 percent in 1999 to 28 percent in 2008. This means that 59 percent of consents, or 29,000 consents, in 2008 were outside the 20-day statutory requirement. Last year’s law changes limited the circumstances in which those extensions could be granted, and these provisions provide a financial incentive for efficiency. This is about reducing red tape so that businesses can get on and create jobs and economic activity to help the recovery.