Iwi facilitation helpful, but misses the point

Iwi facilitation helpful, but misses the point

We welcome today's assurance from Auckland Council planners that they will provide a facilitator to contact iwi on behalf of resource consent applicants who might need a Cultural Impact Assessment (CIA) from iwi, but such assurance still misses the point, says the Employers and Manufacturers Association Northern (EMA).

Chief executive Kim Campbell says, "We repeat our dismay at discovering the CIA process actually operating after finding it buried, without public consultation, within the second version of the Unitary Plan (the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan, in effect since last September).

"The CIA process has far-reaching implications for developing private buildings and public infrastructure in Auckland.

"Because of the extent of the implications, the much-needed clarification on how CIAs work needs to be dealt with in a thorough and measured way.

"It's great that Council is now saying it will clarify a map of iwi and hapu boundaries and will clarify when a resource consent applicant might also need a CIA.

"But this addition to resource management consenting, even if just for Auckland, is a major matter for discussion outside the Unitary Plan.

"The addition of CIAs to already-complex and highly regulated resource consenting provides massive uncertainty and confusion.

"I want to stress here that business embraces change and respects tikanga.

"However, the CIA system needed to be sorted out and transparent before resource applicants could be expected to abide by it," Mr Campbell says.

ENDS

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