Advocacy in Action | May 2022

We are coming to the end of Annual Plan season with an almighty 11 submissions made by our team of three in as many weeks.  This is a critical piece of work for our members, with the outcome of these regionalised plans having a major impact around the country.

See this month’s updates:

 

Emissions Reduction Plan released

The long-awaited Emissions Reduction Plan has been released by the Government. This is the first plan that will help pave the way towards New Zealand achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

Among the many things, the plan aims to reform the resource management system to promote lower emissions and climate resilience as well as address funding and financing challenges for infrastructure to support low-emissions urban environments. It also identifies ways to support the private sector, including developers, to accelerate development that will have wider benefits for the health and wellbeing of New Zealand’s communities.

Property Council is looking to meet with the Environment and Sustainability working group to discuss the plan and to establish our position. If you are interested in providing feedback and/or would like to join the working group, please contact Sandamali, Advocacy Advisor.

The Government’s New Housing Rules: What it means for Auckland

On May 9, Property Council submitted to Auckland Council on the ‘Government’s New Housing Rules: What it means for Auckland’. This consultation represents Auckland Council’s draft approach to implementing both the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (“NPS-UD”) and the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act (“RMA Amendment Act”).

Why it matters to our members

Property Council advocates for the creation and retention of a well-designed, functional and sustainable built environment. Auckland Council’s approach to implementation of the NPS-UD and the RMA Amendment Act is of immense significance to our members. These policies will shape the future built environment of Auckland for generations, influencing outcomes across the entire property sector eco-system. We firmly believe that it is important that the voice of the property sector is heard at the decision-making table.

Our view

Our submission supported various elements of the proposed approach. However, we had deep concerns regarding the proposed intent of Auckland Council to include infrastructure constraints as a qualifying matter, as we believe it contradicts the intent of the NPS-UD. We have provided Auckland Council with a series of recommendations that would ensure better and fairer outcomes for all stakeholders.

Read the full submission

Wellington City Council’s draft Annual Plan 2022/23 and Amendments to the Long-tern Plan 2031

On 12 May 2022, Property Council submitted on Wellington City Council’s Draft Annual Plan 2022/23 and Amendments to the Long Term Plan 2021-31.

Why it matters to our members

Property Council believes in the creation and retention of a well-designed, functional, and sustainable built environment. The Draft Annual Plan 2022/23 outlines the direction of Wellington City Council for the next twelve months and will influence outcomes across Wellington. It is important that decisions made by the Council have fair and equitable outcomes for the private sector.

Our view

Property Council’s submission did not support the increase to the rating differential as it will have negative outcomes for Wellington’s private sector, especially in a time where we should be supporting businesses bring back life to the CBD.

Read our full submission

Christchurch City Council Draft Plan Change

On 12 May, Property Council submitted on Christchurch City Council’s Draft Plan Change, made in response to the National Policy Statement on Urban Development and Resource Management (Housing Supply) Amendments in relation to intensification.

Why it matters to our members

Property Council advocates for the creation and retention of a well-designed, functional and sustainable built environment. These policies will shape the future built environment of Christchurch for generations, influencing outcomes across the entire property sector eco-system.

Our view

Property Council is generally supportive of the proposed changes within the Draft Plan Change. However, we recommend that the Council do not adopt a district-wide engineering provision which would require water and network capacity checks for every development. A district-wide engineering provision could add a significant amount of red tape for development and result in delays for resource consents which anecdotally are currently taking six months for some of our members.

We also have concerns around feasibility of intensification when District Plan rules such as wind tests thresholds and financial contribution penalties for density limits may come into play. This could have adverse effects to Christchurch’s future skyline and amenity by resulting in developers only building to a certain height level.

We welcome the opportunity to work with Christchurch City Council in unpacking these issues with our members.

Read the full submission

The latest

Share this article
LinkedIn
Twitter
Facebook