As anticipated it has been a busy start to 2023. There has been plenty of reading over the summer break with four key bills and the review into the Future for Local Government report all out for consultation.
In January to mid- February, we have already:
- Submitted on the two Resource Management replacement Bills; the Natural and Built Environment Bill and the Spatial Planning Bill.
- Had an initial briefing with the Environment Select Committee on the RM Reform Bills.
- Submitted on the Water Services Legislation Bill and the Water Economic Efficiency and Consumer Protection Bill.
- Published an opinion piece in Stuff, The enormous infrastructure challenge to cope with floods of the future. That was followed up with a live appearance on Radio NZ’s The Panel with a discussion on the Auckland floods impact on infrastructure.
- Conducted a radio interview with American Public Radio station NPR on the Auckland floods
- Prepared a draft submission on the Future for Local Government draft report which we are currently seeking members’ feedback on.
- We have taken the time to catch up with NZ Property Council, Business NZ, the EMA and Civil Construction NZ to discuss key points from our RM Reform submissions , Three Waters, and what we see coming up in this election year.
- This week we partnered with Tonkin and Taylor and hosted a very timely webinar on the zero emission transition path. This panel discussion facilitated by T&T’s Technical Director, James Hughes on ‘Climate and Resilience’ followed on from last year’s very successful Building Nations session: ‘No Road, a Green Road or a Divided Road – how will our zero carbon transition unfold and how should we prepare’. James Hughes, Dr Lyn Carter, Alec Tang and Brad Olsen had a wide ranging discussion with the immediate backdrop of Cyclone Gabrielle and its impacts.
We will continue our efforts to stimulate debate, and focus action on the country’s infrastructure needs over the coming year. With election day set for 14 October, there will be lots of opportunity to engage and shape the political parties agendas in the coming months. We look forward to hearing members’ views and thank you for your input into our advocacy work to date.