Two Agencies, One Purpose!

The original post was written in 2017 when Labour was on their way to Government (and totally missed the boat). This post updated for 2024 reflects an outgoing National Government and preparation for a new regime with fresh thinking taking Aotearoa forward and not backwards to the 1960s (again).

In my TAKE TWO: Regional Rapid Rail, Inter-Regional Planning, and a National Planning Agency. Transforming and Unlocking Places (in the 2020s & 2030s) post I talked about a National Planning Agency and a National Infrastructure Agency.

From that post:

National Planning Agency, and National Infrastructure Agency

Normally the Ministry of Transport would oversee the execution of the Intercity Rail, and the A2B programs. However, given the consequences to the urban environment brought on by those urban centres connected to the Intercity Rail, the Ministry of Transport is not best set up to handle the mechanics of both programs.

Enter the National Planning Agency, and the National Infrastructure Agency

The National Planning Agency borrows its concepts from New South Wales.

From the Department of Planning and Environment – NSW:

We exist to make people’s lives better by making NSW a great place to live and work. We help to provide homes and services, build great communities, create jobs and protect the environment.

……..

The Department engages place making which includes transport and the same principle would be applied here with a National Planning Agency (in coordination with the National Infastructure Agency). That is the National Planning Agency would draw up the overall inter-regional planning framework and be the overseer to all other agencies (including the National Infrastructure Agency) executing the planning framework (set by a Spatial Planning Act) including Intercity Rail, and A2B. In the end the National Planning Agency would be your one stop shop for transport urban and economic planning, environment management, and plan/place maker.

The National Planning Agency effectively would break down silos that would have otherwise occurred between the Ministry of Transport, Waka Kotahi, Kiwi Rail, and the wide range of Councils involved with the Intercity Rail Scheme.

……..

Source:  TAKE TWO: Regional Rapid Rail, Inter-Regional Planning, and a National Planning Agency. Transforming and Unlocking Places (in the 2020s & 2030s

Let’s take a look a bit deeper into a National Planning Agency, and a National Infrastructure Agency ideas

Both the National Planning Agency, and National Infrastructure Agency stem from the short comings with the Ministry of Transport, New Zealand Transport Agency, Kiwi Rail, the National Land Transport Fund, and Auckland Council (while acknowledging the opportunities and challenges faced by Local Government in Aotearoa).

What we have is some of these institutions are deemed Planning Authorities. By Planning Authorities they are by law (the Resource Management Act) allowed to not only plan but consent or seek consent (by the way of a Board of Inquiry) for developments including infrastructure. The problem is they often act as silos and when a large integrated development like the Auckland Transport Alignment Program (ATAP) or Intercity Rail occur getting those Planning Authorities onside can be a mission harder than getting man to Mars and back.

Finances make things even more difficult as well. NZTA while it oversees all land transport modes subsidises operating expenditure for public transport can invest (CAPEX) into rail but as we see from the Pro Roads National Government (2024) with its 2024 Government Policy Statement, that CAPEX is subject to political whims and ideology. Kiwi Rail with its combined freight, passenger and tracks operations is the investor and maintainer of the rail system. The National Land Transport Fund uses fuel taxes (and general taxation) to fund roads and rail even though Kiwi Rail does charge access fees to its rail corridor. Confused? If you are don’t worry because it is a big mess. I also forgot that NZTA oversees things like the drivers licensing scheme, registrations and Road User Chargers for diesels as well.

ARGH!

Coordination lacks and the finances of the lot is no doubt inefficient of our taxpayers resources.

Cue the Planning and Infrastructure Agencies

First the National Planning and Infrastructure Agencies

Formally it would be known as The Aotearoa – National Planning and Infrastructure Agency as be part of a reformatted Ministry for Planning, Infrastructure and the Environment. It would have three major departments.

• The Inspectorate as the overall watchdog, enforcer and regulator of the two agencies. Has the power to investigate and prosecute.
• The Infrastructure Agency: The Infrastructure Agency oversees the investment and upkeep roads, tracks, governance of the ports, Three Waters (fresh, waste and storm), energy transmission, planning and CAPEX of civic infrastructure (schools, hospitals, police, fire etc). It has full access to the National Land Transport Fund which can be used to build said roads and tracks (note: track access fees would contribute to the NLTF just as road user charges and fuel taxes do from roads). It will also have access to a National Infrastructure Fund that has access to State borrowing while allowing access to entities wishing to also invest: See: Trains Between Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga? Yes Please.
• The Planning Agency to handle a reconstituted Spatial Planning Act and the functions the SPA would oversee. The successor to the defunct Natural/Built Environment Act, and the Building Act 2004 will still be handled by Territorial Authorities however, their Regional, District and Unitary Plans must comply with the Spatial Planning Act set by the Planning Agency.
  • Coordinator: when a major inter-regional planning and development exercise is undertaken spanning multiple entities across multiple jurisdictions and agencies the Planning Agency is the one that sits on top of everything making sure the planning and delivery of the projects occur. The Inspectorate is the watchdog and enforcer if things go sideways

Transport functions like licensing, Road User Charges and registrations remain with NZTA and the Ministry of Transport.

In regards to the sections of the Spatial Planning Act that would be reconstituted and brought back to guide the new Planning Agency:

Note: Any reference to the Natural and Built Environment Act is replaced by whatever its, and the Resource Management Act’s successor is.

The Inspectorate is the overall watchdog, enforcer and coordinator of the entire Agencies:

• Watchdog: To oversee the other Departments making sure they are delivering per policy requirements
• Enforcer: Pretty much the butt kicker if the Departments are slacking off from policy requirements. They can also bring about prosecutions if other entities or persons break the laws set about for or by the respective Departments

Examples of the agencies working

Auckland Plan or the Unitary Plan

The Planning Agency would coordinate efforts of the Auckland Plan and Unitary Plan especially when the Spatial Planning Act would also require cooperation with Northland and the Waikato. The Infrastructure Agency would be the primary funder and investor in the supporting infrastructure for both Plans, while the Inspectorate would ensure compliance from Auckland on any national direction set by the Planning Agency under the SPA!

Southern Motorway upgrades or building of the Third and Fourth Mains

The Infrastructure Agency would handle this these projects after the request had been peer-reviewed from the Inspectorate (making sure the projects complied with sound economic, social and environmental analysis) acting in its Watchdog role.

Airport to Botany Rapid Transit, NW Rapid Transit, North Shore Line, Eastern Busway, and Intercity Rail

This is where the full power of the Agencies under the Ministry for Planning, Infrastructure and the Environment. is invoked. As I said above the Ministry of Transport and its department would normally handle this but given the place and plan making opportunities from each of these mega projects, we are going to need more than MoT. Enter the Ministry for Planning, Infrastructure and the Environment and its departments.

While the Infrastructure Agency would be the main executor of building these critical infrastructure links Planning Agency, and the Inspectorate also come into play as well.

Why?

Because if we followed proper integrated land use/transport goals place making (both urban and natural) present themselves as opportunities. On the natural environment side even rail lines disrupt the environment (although not as much as roads). Storm water and run off catchments are still needed in the rural areas with rail especially if wetlands are crossed or depots are built outside the urban areas. On the urban environment side is where things get very interesting very fast.

All the mega transport projects will have stations and depots (including the provincial towns in regards to Regional Rapid Rail) and this means Transit Orientated Developments.

With TODs you draw two circles using the station as the centre point. The first circle has a radius of 800 metres and this is where the highest density developments (including civic spaces) would go. Your next circle is drawn with a two-kilometre radius from the station and between the 800m and 2km circles is where your medium density (relative to the town) developments (including civic) spaces would go. 800 metres is your walk-up catchment to a station while two kilometres is your e-bike catchment.

Both catchments would be mixed use residential and commercial developments although the 2km radius does work for industry when a freight depot is concerned (saving truck shuttling between factory/warehouse to freight station). As this is all plan and place making this is where the Planning Agency comes in as it can reach over boundaries Councils cannot.

As multiple Councils, Ministries and Departments involved in a project as extensive as Intercity Rail (see: Trains Between Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga? Yes Please the Planning Agency comes into the play as the main overseer and coordinator.

The Planning Agency would draw up an Inter-Regional Spatial Plan as the main overarching document guiding the infrastructure and urban developments as well as natural environment stewardship much like the Auckland (Spatial) Plan does (and was and will be a requirement under S15-18 of the Spatial Planning Act again). With that spatial plan in place the respective Councils can undertake their local developments with help and coordination from the Ministry for Planning, Infrastructure and the Environment (as a whole).

The ultimate goal being planning, development and management is done at a coordinated whole-scale approach across multiple regions rather than the piece-meal approach that we have now (in 2024) (and has bogged down Hamilton to Auckland intercity rail (as is it did in 2017 when the original post was written)).

In conclusion a Ministry for Planning, Infrastructure and the Environment with its three agencies (The Inspectorate, The Aotearoa – National Planning Agency, and the Aotearoa – National Infrastructure Agency) would go some way to coordinate and enforce inter-regional planning that New Zealand struggles with.

Our different regions have not benefited from competing with each other and should collaborate with the help of the Government via this Ministry. Each of the Agencies deals with specific intricacies of planning and the different environments with the Inspectorate as the overarching authority and enforcer.

What do you think?