RMA changes help property investors

That at least is the promise in the government’s Resource Management reforms announced yesterday.

The main points in the announcement by Environment Minister Nick Smith relate to large projects, but Smith says owners of small properties who want to make changes will also be helped.”

“At the moment the council official has no power to say in effect ‘the effects of this change are minor so we won't go through the expense of a full resource consent process.’ This will change that.”

Examples he gave of unnecessary resource consent processes include someone adding a deck to a house or putting up a clothesline.

“And there are 5,000 resource consents a year just for people to trim a tree.”