Hamish Firth: Mt Hobson Group Director on the changes to the Resource Management Act

The Government's scrapping the Resource Management Act and replacing it with new planning laws.  RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says current rules make it too hard to build the infrastructure and houses New Zealand desperately needs.  He says Cabinet's agreed on a blueprint for reform, which will standardise zoning and remove differences for each local council – aiming to implement it before councils start their 2027 long-term plans.   He claims the replacement RMA will cut admin and compliance costs by 45 percent.  Mt Hobson Group Director Hamish Firth told Kerre Woodham he’s expecting a much more liberal planning system – one that presumes land use will be permitted unless it significantly affects other people's property rights.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.