Labour to scrap RMA to rein in house prices

Legislation will now be started again no matter who wins election

Labour has promised to replace the Resource Management Act — announcing affordable housing policies at the construction site for a multimillion dollar home owned by a venture capitalist.

The luxury home i s under construction for Matt Ocko, a technology entrepreneur who is on Rocket Lab’s board. He is a New Zealand resident but currently living in his native United States.

Jacinda Ardern was asked about the choice of venue in Birkenhead, given housing prices are locking many New Zealanders out of home ownership. She responded: “This i s their primary home and also their place of work.”

Ardern defended her government’s record on housing.

“In the wake of inheriting a housing crisis we were willing to try new things, to invest and make sure that our residential housing market was building affordable homes for first home buyers. And we are continuing that work.

“We won’t turn this problem around in one term, when it took decades to create.”

Labour’s commitment to repeal and replace the RMA means the legislation will be scrapped and started again next term no matter who wins the election, given National has already committed to separate legislation that deals with building and planning from that which aims to protect the environment.

David Parker, Labour’s environment spokesperson, said the RMA’s “overly restrictive planning rules are one of the causes of high house prices”.

“We undertook the most comprehensive review of the resource management system in its 30 year history, and we will implement its core recommendations in the next parliamentary term.

“They included repealing the current RMA and replacing it with two new laws, a Natural and Built Environments Act and a Strategic Planning Act. We also agree that climate adaptation legislation is needed.”

Labour’s housing policy is a far cry from the ambitious, and ultimately unsuccessful, KiwiBuild plan it pitched before the 2017 election.

Instead of building 100,000 homes over 10 years, Labour has promised to deliver another 8000 new public and transitional houses by 2024 ( homes already announced in this year’s Budget).

Other new policies include introducing a code of conduct to ensure property management services meet professional standards, and “energy performance certificate” ratings for residential buildings, so homebuyers know how much it will cost to heat and cool homes. Those reports would cost around $ 120.

National leader Judith Collins said Labour’s housing policy “i s an admission of three years of failure” and there was a lack of clarity about what changes would be in the new legislation.

Green Party co- leader and housing spokesperson Marama Davidson welcomed the announcement, but said more focus was needed on community housing.

Act leader David Seymour said his party had consistently advocated for overhauling the RMA and Labour couldn’t be trusted to take meaningful action.