“Development Contributions Commissioners appointed”

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Part of the recent raft of changes brought through in the latest Local Government Act Amendments

 

From Scoop

Development Contributions Commissioners appointed

8 August 2014

Associate Local Government Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga today announced a further step in the Government’s drive to reduce the cost of building new homes with the appointment of 26 commissioners to the Register of Development Contributions Commissioners.

“These commissioners will serve as a panel to ensure transparency and accountability in the charging of development contributions,” says Mr Lotu-Iiga.

“We are committed to making sure development contributions do not unnecessarily impact housing affordability.”

The appointments follow the passing of the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Act (No 3) 2014.
“The Act which comes into force today includes improvements to the development contributions regime, making them fairer and more transparent. This is part of a suite of housing affordability initiatives like increasing land supply, establishing Special Housing Areas, removing tariffs on building materials and reforming the Resource Management Act 1991,” says Mr Lotu-Iiga.
He adds that the development contributions commissioners will make sure that councils can only charge developers for infrastructure related directly to their developments. He says the commissioners will manage the new objections process as the law now allows developers to object to a council’s imposition of a development contribution charge.

“I am pleased with the calibre of people who put their names forward for the register. I am confident that the appointed commissioners possess the relevant knowledge, skills and expertise to serve on the panel.”

All the commissioners are appointed for a three-year term.

For more information about the development contributions objections process visitwww.dia.govt.nz/better-local-government
Commissioner biographies:

  • Stephen Abley is currently the Managing Director of Abley Transportation Consultants. Stephen has extensive engineering experience and has assisted two councils with work that later informed their development contributions policies.
  • Mark Apeldoorn is currently a Director of the Traffic Design Group. Mark has extensive experience in civil engineering with particular expertise in traffic engineering design, urban design in the transport environment, city centre revitalisation and transport supply and demand management.
  • Helen Atkins is currently an environmental and local government law specialist at the Atkins Holm Majurey law firm. Helen is a RMA commissioner, a current board member of the Environmental Risk Management Authority and has previously chaired the Wellington Branch of the New Zealand Planning Institute.
  • Simon Berry is one of the founding partners of Berry Simons law firm and specialises in environmental law. He has been in practice as a specialist environmental law barrister and prior to that spent many years as a partner in two law firms.
  • Alan Bickers is a professional engineer and former Chief Executive of Tauranga City Council. Allan is a Distinguished Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand and a RMA commissioner.
  • Fraser Campbell is the current Director of Campbell Consulting Limited, an engineering consultancy, and a RMA commissioner. Prior to this, Fraser worked at Palmerston North District Council in several managerial roles.
  • Andy Carr is currently the Director of Carriageway Consulting, a transport engineering consultancy, as well as a RMA commissioner. He is a member of the National Committee of the Resource Management Law Association and is the immediate past Chair of the Canterbury branch of the Association.
  • Paul Cooney is the Partner of law firm CooneyLeesMorgan and acts as Senior Legal Advisor to several territorial authorities. Paul is a RMA commissioner and prior to this was a member of the Casino Control Authority.
  • Alan Dormer is lawyer at Shortland Chambers law firm and specialises in public, environmental and local government law. He also teaches the “Making Good Decisions” programme for RMA commissioners.
  • Tauiliili Fatu Fuatavai is currently the Director and Owner of the Airport Garden Inn Hotel, Trident Tavern and Gordys Bar. He is a commercial and residential property investor. Prior to this he was a Site Engineer working on various high rise buildings and civil engineering projects.
  • Harriet Fraser is currently an Independent Consultant at Harriet Fraser Traffic Engineering and Transportation Planning. Harriet has extensive engineering experience with particular focus on traffic engineering and transportation planning.
  • Brian Hasell is an Engineer, and the current Director of Hasell Consulting Limited. He has also been the Wellington Regional Manager for Transit New Zealand and the Chief Executive of Ashburton District Council.
  • David Hutchison is currently the Chief Civil Engineer at Downer New Zealand, a role he has held since 2008. He has extensive experience as a civil engineer.
  • Susan Jackson is experienced both as a civil engineer and local government councillor. She is currently a RMA commissioner, self-employed and in her final year of study for a Graduate Diploma in Business (Dispute Resolution).
  • Steven Kerr is currently a Principal Planner at Montgomery Watson Harza New Zealand. He also has planning experience from his time at CPG/Spiire, Telecom New Zealand Limited, BECA and at several New Zealand territorial authorities, including Upper Hutt City Council, Taupo District Council and Tauranga City Council. Steven is also a RMA commissioner.
  • David McLernon is currently a Director, Project Manager and Project Director at Octa Associates Limited. David has specialist knowledge in engineering.
  • Philip Milne is a lawyer with many years’ experience in the local government and environmental law field. He is currently a practicing Barrister at Waterfront Chambers in Wellington.
  • Graham Nielsen is currently a Management Consultant for SPM Consultants Limited. Graham has extensive experience in mechanical engineering, and has local government knowledge from years working for various councils in the Auckland region.
  • Pamela Peters is currently a consultant based in Auckland and a RMA commissioner. Pamela was the Mayor of Whangarei from 2004 to 2007 and was Deputy Mayor and a councillor for nine years prior to that.
  • Gary Rae is currently a planning consultant based in Nelson and a RMA commissioner. Gary Rae was a regional planner for Transit New Zealand, Principal Planner at Works Consultancy Services, and prior to that an Area Planner at Christchurch City Council.
  • Cindy Robinson specialises in law and is currently the Director of a resource management consultancy firm. She has experience as a board member and chairman of Arts Centre of Christchurch Trust and was previously a partner at Duncan Cotterill law firm.
  • Gregory Shaw is currently the Chief Executive of both Dalian Blue Sea Marina Design Company Limited and the Trade China Group Limited. Gregory also owns an engineering consultancy called The Consulting Group 2006 Limited. Gregory has specialist knowledge in engineering, both civil and structural, and also has experience in negotiation and problem solving.
  • Craig Shearer has specialist knowledge in planning, and local government knowledge from experience working for regional councils, including many years at Auckland Regional Council. He is currently the owner of Shearer Consulting Limited, providing input in to resource management processes.
  • Darrell Statham is currently the Principal of Statham Consulting Limited. He has extensive civil engineering experience and specialises in civil design, economic evaluation and project management.
  • Mark St Clair is a Principal and Co-Director of Hill Young Cooper Limited, a strategic resource management and environmental policy and planning consultancy. He is also a RMA commissioner, a member of the New Zealand Planning Institute and the Resource Management Law Association. Mark has worked previously as both a Senior Planning Consultant at GHD and has held policy and planning positions at Manukau City and Hutt City Councils.
  • Gina Sweetman is a RMA commissioner. She is also an experienced planner, currently working at Sweetman Planning Services. She is familiar with local government and Māori issues through work as a RMA commissioner, and planning and policy advisor for both the public and private sector.

—-ends—-

Source: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1408/S00153/development-contributions-commissioners-appointed.htm

Something to ponder over before your next development

 

City Centre East-West Connections

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Improving Connections Through the City Centre

 

Yesterday Transport Blog via a Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) request posted on plans to improve both the east-west links in the Auckland City Centre as well as (as a result) vitality of the City Centre.

Transport Blog have done their own commentary on this and I’ll leave the commentary at that (see: The City East West Transport Study )

What have done is attach the document as an embed so that you can read the PDF which is at 44MB in size without busting your bandwidth (via downloading) – especially if on a tablet or mobile device.

 

The City Centre East West Link Report – courtesy of Transport Blog

Attribution: http://transportblog.co.nz/2014/08/08/the-city-east-west-transport-study/ 

 

At 274 pages long I have not read it fully yet myself but from what I have seen it is certainly interesting and doable over time. The catch is will we have political will power to do it…

Time will tell as it always does

NZTA to Begin Work On the Hill Street, Warkworth Intersection

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Construction to begin this Summer

 

Of all times NZTA were to pick it had to be in the Summer peak season too…

From NZTA

Summer start for Warkworth’s Hill Street improvements

6 Aug 2014 02:36pm | NZ Transport Agency: Auckland and Northland

People in the Rodney area will have their opportunity later this month to find out more about improvements to the State Highway 1/Hill Street intersection in Warkworth before the NZ Transport Agency starts construction this summer. The Transport Agency’s open day will be held on Saturday 16 August from 10am to 2pm in the Old Masonic Hall in Baxter Street, Warkworth.

Highway Manager, Brett Gliddon, says the open day is a chance for the Transport Agency to explain in more detail its interim improvements for the intersection.

“We are committed to delivering these improvements this summer, but accept that these are not the final solution for Hill Street. As part of the longer term plans for Hill Street, we will continue to investigate the traffic impacts of the new Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway, the Western Collector and potential projects such as the Matakana Link,” Mr Gliddon says.

The interim improvements at the intersection include:

  • widening the northbound approach on SH1, and increasing the capacity of the right turn lane into Matakana Road by extending it back to the intersection with Shoesmith Street.
  • widening the corresponding southbound approach which will add some capacity for traffic turning left into Matakana Road.
  • the southbound right turn lane from SH1 into Hill Street will be removed. This will improve traffic flow by giving more green light time to other traffic movements. It also provides additional space, easing the impact of construction. (alternative routes to access Hill Street are available via Hudson Road and Falls Road or Hudson and Albert Road)
  • walkers and cyclists will benefit from a new wider shared path on the western side of SH1
  • Improving the connection between Sandspit Road and Elizabeth Street.

Mr Gliddon says construction avoids the busiest holiday weekends of the year such as Labour Weekend and Christmas/New Year to minimise driver disruption. The improvements are expected to be finished before Easter 2015.

“We want to deliver these improvements as soon as possible with a minimum of disruption to drivers. The works will take place sequentially to keep traffic moving and minimise any inconvenience.”

Information about the project is also available online at www.nzta.govt.nz/warkworth

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Source: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/about/media/releases/3547/news.html

 

Okay so NZTA will avoid those Summer peaks with the Hill Street intersection interim improvements.