March 21, 2024
Fast track good for Māori business says Potaka
Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka says Māori enterprises could benefit from fast track consenting.
Parliament is considering the Fast Track Approval Bill, which will allow a panel of ministers including Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development to fast track consents.
Mr Pōtaka says during his time with Tainui Group Holdings, he saw how the local council was able to use its local plan and the Resource Management Act to frustrate a plan to build a logistics hub and inland port at Ruakura.
“So I think that the experiences that I have aren’t based on the ideologies of some who think that because we’re changing the legislation, all hell’s going to break loose. No, not at all. But there are some real aspirations from Māori to get on and do things which would not be easily enabled under the previous legislation,” he says.