It’s a bit of an old chesnut but here we go again – lock ’em up and throw away the keys. This week it seems that Act and National are convinced that humanity can’t do what architecture is so good at – incarceration. Their addition to the Sentencing and Parole Reform Bill, if enacted, will mean “no prospect of ever being freed for those convicted of murder or manslaughter.” Such thinking makes architecture the ultimate punishment. Read More
The link to the SST article that discusses the proposed RMA changes is not operating at the moment, but I did manage to find this from David Farrar at Kiwiblog:
February 1st, 2009 at 10:00 am
The SST reports on likely changes to the RMA. They are:
- enable local councils to make planning changes more quickly (currently takes six years on average)
- prevent companies using the law to stymie competition from rival firms
- no change to the environmental purposes of the act
- major projects could now be heard by a board of inquiry headed by an Environment Court judge or a retired judge
- local bodies could nominate people also to serve on the board
- limit the number of appeals that go further up the track
- increase the power of the courts to be able to ping players that have abused the RMA process
- maximum fine for breaches of RMA to increase from $200,000 to several million probably
In summary it is not about changing what projects get consent, just about speeding up the process which is insanely long at the moment.
What say you?
m-d