Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) says that the Government’s announcement of an overhaul of the Public Works Act (PWA) is timely, with the modernisation of this Act addressing several issues that local government have advocated for.

Councils are empowered by the PWA to acquire land for infrastructure projects, and as stewards for over a quarter of the country’s infrastructure, are invested in ensuring the settings in this area are fit for purpose.

Neil Holdom, Chair of LGNZ’s Transport Forum and Mayor of New Plymouth, inputted on behalf of LGNZ into the Government’s review of the Public Works Act last year. He says that the Government’s extensive re-working of the PWA will help councils to deliver the infrastructure needed to support growth and development.

“We acknowledge Minister Penk for doing a really good job in taking a more pragmatic approach in balancing private property rights with the needs of the country to efficiently invest in infrastructure - in a way that’s much faster than what’s occurred in the past decade.

“For councils it will allow critical transport and energy infrastructure to come online faster, which will help meet the Government's goals of more housing and economic growth.

“Historically issues from a council perspective with both the Resource Management Act (RMA) and the PWA, have led to unfair accusations of councils stifling growth. So it’s great to see these issues being addressed.”

Mayor Holdom is particularly pleased the Government has signalled a refinement in the role of the Environment Court.

“There are infrastructure projects across New Zealand that have been held up by numerous court cases, which result in hundreds of millions of dollars in completely avoidable delays; Mount Messenger in New Plymouth is a good example of this.

“These type of holdups – which unnecessarily impede progress on critical infrastructure projects - have been a key issue with the current RMA and PWA, and what Minister Penk has come up with is a prescription to resolve these issues.

“We also welcome the Government’s decision to enable Transpower to use the Public Works Act to acquire land by agreement and enable transmission infrastructure, as we increasingly look to electrify our economy. Hopefully this will allow more efficient delivery of infrastructure at scale.”

LGNZ President Sam Broughton says the Government have shown a willingness to work with local government on a range of issues.

“We are pleased to see that the Government have listened to local government and the issues that councils have been encountering at the coal-face.

“The current legislation is inefficient, out-of-date and has led to significant project delays - which slow down the delivery of the infrastructure needed to move this country forward.

“This overhaul helps to unlock local government’s ability to help drive critical infrastructure across the regions, which in turn leads to more economic growth – so it’s a win-win for everyone,” says Sam Broughton.

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