The Minister for Regional Development Shane Jones wants politicians to ask ratepayers if regional councils are value for money. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER
The Minister for Regional Development Shane Jones says problems in regional councils are "hobbling" economic progress.
Last week, Jones told a forum New Zealand First did not see a compelling case for regional government to continue to exist after changes to the Resource Management Act came into effect.
However, Bay of Plenty Regional Council chair Doug Leeder says scrapping regional councils is not in the interest of the wider community or the environment
He was reacting after Jones told Morning Report regional councils such as Otago and Waikato were standing in the way of mining and marine farming permits.
"In 2012 the Waikato Regional Council itself made a submission to the Productivity Commission and it identified that co-ordination and a host of other problems was actually hobbling its ability to contribute towards productivity.
"If we don't have mining, if we don't have marine farming then a lot of the regional areas of New Zealand they're going to be blighted," Jones said.
The councils represented a small part of a case for a "broader rationalisation" which he intended to put before his party in the lead up to next election.
"New Zealand politicians should ask the public: Do they feel that the current system, is it generating ratepayer value? Is it actually delivering economic growth at a time where the narrative we have - as a government - is to boost economic growth, to generate the surplus so we can afford the services that we take for granted," Jones said.
The influence of iwi and the creeping scope of co-governance initiatives had extended beyond initial intent.
"I'm deeply concerned that the Waikato Regional council is turning into some sort of iwi back office.
"I think that there's a host of other challenges though where [council] staff are hobbling economic development such as an unwillingness to support mining in Otago where they've dredged up some dead moth," Jones said.
Minister for Resource Management Act Reform Chris Bishop said the changes the government was making will look at the functions and responsibilities of regional councils.
Bishop said the reform process has implications for regional councils, as they do a range of things such as public transport, natural hazard management, and environmental monitoring and planning.
He said Jones was giving his party view but he could understand his frustration with regional councils.
Challenges will remain - council chair
Doug Leeder Photo: NZME
Bay of Plenty Regional Council chair Doug Leeder says passing off regional council's responsibilities onto another agency will not alter the challenges associated with their functions.
Councils gained a raft of important responsibilities from regional catchment boards in the late eighties.
"They include really important functions such as the stewardship of land, water and air, therefore the environmental issues. There's rivers, drainage, flood protection schemes, you've got public transport delivery, emergency management functions, regional planning functions, bio-security, bio-diversity as a starter.
"So when we understand those and we understand how they are best delivered then that's the start of the conversation rather than the unilateral just getting rid of councils," Leeder said.
Councils were open to discussions on streamlining those functions if the tasks were underpinned by good, solid governance.
"Let's be upfront, some of the consenting processes across the country in terms of the RMA [Resoruce Management Act} and getting infrastructure and delivery of services are really complex, they are really expensive and they need review. The regional sector of Local Government New Zealand has been advocating for this for a significant period of time," Leeder said.
Scrapping regional councils and their associated functions was not in the interest of the wider community or the environment, he told Morning Report.
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