Council cleans up act

Northern News

Far North mayor Wayne Brown says Environment Minister Nick Smith’s announcement of a formal investigation into the Far North District Council’s performance under section 24A of the Resource Management Act is like "sending a team to mend a puncture we’ve already fixed".

Making his announcement, Mr Smith said the council processed just 37 percent of resource consents within the statutory time frames in the 2007/08 Ministry for the Environment resource management survey – a decline from 51 percent in the 05/06 survey.

"I acknowledge the council has taken some steps in the last year to improve its performance.

"I want to work constructively with the council through this process to ensure the act is well administered in the Far North.

"The review will occur in November with a report concluded by the end of the year," he said.

"The Far North is very dependent on the efficient management of its natural resources for its wealth and unique lifestyle.

"This review is about ensuring these functions are done as well as possible for the people of the Far North."

The council has responded by outlining "a satisfying improvement" in non-notified resource consent processing times.

Council communications manager Alison Lees says from a low point of 37 percent of non-notified resource consents processed within the time frame of 20 days in the 07/08 financial year, rising to 57 percent in the 08/09 year, last month’s figures showed 98 percent were processed in time.

That compares with 85 percent in July, and 96 percent in August, and a financial year to date average of 92 percent.

Mr Brown says the council was making real progress.

"That’s what these latest statistics show. But the minister’s announcement is typical of the government – send out help too late and to the wrong address.

"Based on bad figures in the 07/08 financial year, the same figures that angered me into becoming mayor, we have made changes at the top and in attitudes and the results are now quite good and based on honest reporting, unlike our Northland Regional Council, which is where this lot should have been sent.

"I support the minister’s efforts to simplify the act but he’s sending a team to mend a puncture we’ve already fixed."

Mr Brown says the council would use the opportunity to work with the government and point out areas where legislative improvements could be made.

"It’s been over one year and $1 million to get a resource consent for the Bay of Islands sewerage scheme and it’s still before Environment Court mediation," he says.

"The real villain is building consents. The trouble is from two horror bureaucracies the Department of Building and Housing and the Building Research Association, which together, due to government rules, take half a million dollars out of here each year to waste in Wellington."

Mr Brown says he was elected to make improvements and the statistics show real progress.

"One of the reasons I stood for office was to fix the council’s appalling delays in consent processing.

"The council was all but crippling the district’s progress and driving developers nuts.

"I am proud that the environmental management team has achieved such a good improvement in a short time."

Mr Brown attributed the improvement to restructuring of the council’s environmental management department under Fran Mikulicic, appointed general manager last May.

She reinforced the value of teamwork and worked alongside the staff to build on their potential and search for process improvements to increase efficiency.

"We have a good team of planners who are working hard to simplify processes, focus on customer service and ease the way for development opportunities that don’t detract from the beauty of the Far North environment," Ms Mikulicic said.

"They have achieved an excellent result and we are working together to bring more improvements."