Commitment to co-operate on Transpower grid

Commitment to co-operate on Transpower grid upgrade

28 October 2004

A commitment from local councils to work together on the resource management issues resulting from Transpower’s proposal to upgrade the national grid is a significant achievement, said Local Government New Zealand President Basil Morrison.

Transpower briefed the Mayors, Chairs and Chief Executives of the 10 local authorities that could be affected by its proposed new Whakamaru to Otahuhu 400kV transmission line in Hamilton last night. The council representatives expressed interest in establishing an optimal model for processing the project’s resource management designations and consents.

“This project may be the largest project to take place in New Zealand since the “Think Big” developments of the early 1980s and as such, requires a new model of co-operation and collaboration between local authorities. If this model works, it could be applied to other significant resource projects.

“We welcome the opportunity to work with Transpower, the Government, and affected local authorities to create a collaborative process that listens to community concerns, protects assets, and at the same time, deals with Resource Management Act requirements in an efficient way”, said Mr Morrison.

A Mayors/Chairs Forum is proposed with support from a matching Officers Forum, to ensure that exemplary performance under the Resource Management Act is achieved, and the well-being of communities is protected and promoted.

At the same time, Mayors recognised the current vulnerability of the transmission network and that strong inter-council leadership and collaboration is required to manage effects and optimise economic development opportunities.

ENDS

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