Simon Court ACT MP and Undersecretary to the Minister for RMA Reform and Infrastructure.
Prior to coming to Parliament as an ACT MP in 2020 I spent 23 years in civil engineering, managed road maintenance contracts, and worked in the waste industry. In those roles I was acutely aware that operations were entirely dependent on the smooth-running trucks, dozers, excavators and paving machines. That depended on mechanics and suppliers playing their part, day and night, in all weather and the worst conditions.
On ACT’s Real New Zealand Tour in July we stopped for a pie in the Taranaki town of Hawera. We met the family who owned the bakery for over 50 years and employed 30 staff. As well as running an awesome pie shop, they supply bakeries and caterers across Taranaki. They told the visiting ACT MP’s that reliable roads, reliable drivers and reliable vehicles are vital to making their business work.
Heading to Wanganui in the back of the ACT Bus I was regularly jolted out of my seat as we hit potholes and bridge joints. ACT upgraded the air bags on the bus recently, but that is not enough to cushion the passengers from impact of years of poor road maintenance.
For the return to Wellington I rented a Ford Ranger. Contrary to what the previous Labour Government believed, utes are legit and a great ride!
The Coalition Government believes every New Zealander deserves a great ride. Starting with four-laning from Warkworth to Northland we are getting ready to deliver the first Roads of National significance. As Under-Secretary for Infrastructure Funding and Financing I am working to refresh the model for public private partnerships (PPPs). Long term investors paired with the local and international design-construct teams will deliver new roads much faster than leaving it to Crown agencies alone.
Using the private sector to finance and take the delivery risk on a major new road has many advantages, as long as the risks are spread fairly. One risk that the Government can manage better is the time and cost of obtaining resource consents. Urgent fixes are underway to the RMA, but the real solution is found in the ACT-National Coalition agreement to replace the RMA with a new system based on property rights.
Making it simpler for infrastructure, commercial and residential projects to get going, by reducing the number of consents needed for common activities like earthworks will mean that less effort and time will be wasted on things we already do well. Reducing the risk of delay and uncertainty in consenting will help get building faster and increase productivity, and is the primary focus in my other role as Under-Secretary for Resource Management Reform.
At the same time the Coalition starts on major road projects, we will increase spending on road maintenance by an extra $500 million over the next three years. Increased capacity for people and freight means more economic growth, greater productivity, and an easier trip from A to B for Kiwis in the north west of Auckland and beyond.
