Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Michelle McCormick: Infrastructure NZ Policy Director on the changes to the Public Works Act

Transcript

Michelle McCormick: Infrastructure NZ Policy Director on the changes to the Public Works Act · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The government's proposing changes to the Public Works Act to
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: speed up how it acquires private land. So if your
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: land needs to be acquired, there is a new premium
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: payment scheme which would be introduced, rewarding landowners who settle quickly.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: And at the end of it all, the Environment Court
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: will no longer hear objections that will go to the
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Minister and others in Council. Infrastructure you see on Policy
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Director Michelle McCormack has worken up for us this morning.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Hello Michelle, Good morning Andrew. Is this everything you want?
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: Oh? Pretty much?
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  Speaker 1: So.
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  Speaker 2: I think it's a big step in the right direction.
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  Speaker 2: It's pretty ancient legislation, the Public Workfect, and it's good
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: to see a fresh look at it in looking how
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  Speaker 2: we can improve the process and make sure that we
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  Speaker 2: are getting the strategic infrastructure faster that we need.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Do we have some constructive, some concrete proposals that are
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: on the table that will benefit from this.
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: A differently. Yeah, the ones that are in the Fast
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: Trek Approvals Act now, so that's our roads of national
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  Speaker 2: significance and some of the other big projects that are
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: actually public infrastructure works will be lined up to further
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  Speaker 2: down the track. And that will really shave us off
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: some time and make the whole process a lot quicker,
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: so construction can get underway and then we end up
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  Speaker 2: with the finished products soon.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: Yes. The only example I remember in my lifetime was
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  Speaker 1: in fact, taking all the land beside the Pakranger Highway
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: to make the busway that goes out towards Botany where.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: All those houses just disappeared, they were just taken. Would
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: this have made that process faster and easier.
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: Yes, it would, And it's good to see that there
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: is an incentive payment now being offered where people are affected.
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: When a project like that needs to acquire land, they
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: actually have the option to sell voluntarily early without actually
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: being compulsory acquired, and they will get that incentive payment
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  Speaker 2: which is up to fifteen percent of leaned value.
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: Of course they're going to take away the environment caught
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  Speaker 1: as a court of appeal, which we all know that
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  Speaker 1: that can take forever and cost of fortune.
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that's a big improvement. We know how
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: overloaded the Environment court is, and I think having a
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  Speaker 2: much streamlined process to get to that final decision is
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  Speaker 2: actually better for everyone. That's better for the project, and
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: it's better for the people affected too, because they'll get
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: an outcome sooner.
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  Speaker 1: It effects of the If it's going to positively affect
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  Speaker 1: all the big infrastructure projects, why don't we get rid
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: of the environment caught altogether.
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: I think we still need the Environment Court for the
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: wider rama processes, and there's a number of other approval
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  Speaker 2: processes that they are involved in as well. But I
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  Speaker 2: think in this case, where these projects have been through
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: that consenting approval process or in designation and then the
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  Speaker 2: last process is acquiring the land, I think it makes
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: sense to have a streamline process with ministerial approval.
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: And is this all the great idea until we get
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: one bad decision or a perceived allegation of bias from
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  Speaker 1: a minister who is now the final court of appeal.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: Yeah, there is the alternative of having a judicial review
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: if we know that someone does think that has been
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: a particularly bad decision. But I think given that the
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  Speaker 2: project itself has been tested well and head consenting approval given,
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  Speaker 2: then it is pretty much streamlined now, so you won't
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  Speaker 2: get one land owner holding out a whole project and
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  Speaker 2: costing millions and millions of dollars to the rest of
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  Speaker 2: the community.
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: Well, Michelle have yourself a great duate work in a
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  Speaker 1: great week at work, being productive and creating infrastructure, and
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: I thank you so much at Michell McCormick is the
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: Infrastructure New Zealand Policy Director.
• 3:31
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• 3:34
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• 3:37
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