September 11, 2020
East Coast iwi tests road access charge
Māori Development and Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta has stepped into a row over development costs on rural land within Te Whānau a Apanui.
Project coordinator Willie Te Aho has been battling with the Ōpōtiki District Council and the New Zealand Transport Authority about the cost of consents and regulations, including driveway requirements imposed by NZTA for properties that open to state highways.
He says that can add more than $6000 to the cost of a house.
The Minister sat down with the iwi and the council last week to look at some of the issues.
"So I have confidence Minister Mahuta will find a way through officials to address this challenging issue for rural folk and certainly for Māori where our average salary in Whānau a Apanui is $16,500 a year," Mr Te Aho says.
He hopes to use the next five house builds as a case studies to identify and fix any problems getting resource consents and permits.
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