You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald from Newstalk ZB.

You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald from Newstalk ZB.

I reckon the government, Well, I think you will as well. It's been making it increasingly clear over time that it doesn't really give two hoots about local democracy, and in the last twenty four hours it's gone next level, absolutely next level, and I think the government needs to pull its head in. And I gather Phil Major's going to tell us certain hour's time that the government's got a fight on its hands. I think he thinks the government needs to pull its head in as well. And why is that? Or for a couple of reasons. First up, we've got Housing Minister Chris Bishop, who announced yesterday that he's going to be given special powers to ride roughshot over council plans if he doesn't like them, district plans, whatever plans. If he doesn't like them, he can step in. Essentially, if he thinks a council has a plan that doesn't support economic growth and development, or it has a plan that won't do anything to create jobs, then he can come in over the top and say no, no, no, no no, you're not going to do that. No, no, no, none of that nonsense. In fact, from what I've been reading this morning, it seems any government minister is going to be able to modify or remove aspects of council plans that they don't agree with. Talk about big brother. That's not all Chris Bishop. He's got himself into a spat with the City Council overnight, saying that the council's failed attempt to push back on the government's housing intensification rules was quote nuts. He said it was nuts. He sounded like amazinging He's saying, quote it is an inarguable, inarguable and sometimes uncomfortable fact that local government has been one of the largest barriers to housing growth in New Zealand, going on to say, quote Croatia City Council just outright defied its legal obligations. Signed off with the accusation that the council was nuts if it thought it was going to get away with not doing what the government wanted it to do. A table thumping. Even though I didn't have a problem with Chris Bishop declining that request for christ Church to be treated as a special case and not to have to go along with the government's housing intensification policy, even though I thought I thought Chris I said last week. Remember I thought Chris Bishop he'd made the right decision. Nevertheless, I think he needs to pull his head in a bit. But this attack on local democracy, because this is what it is, This attack on local democracy doesn't stop with Chris Bishop. Shane Jones. He's added as well, saying in a speech to local government leaders last night that regional councils have had their day and he wants to get rid of them. What is the point of local regional government? He said when he stood up at the lectern in Wellington last night. He seems to think that with all the changes the government's making to the Resource Management Act, we're not going to need regional councils like I can anymore, saying there is less and less of a justifiable purpose for maintaining regional government. Lordie, I do can't get that, because I know a few people in local government and if asked them recently, where they see the likes of ECAN going. If the government is going to give the Resource Management Act the hepo because that's what regional councils will set up to do in the first place. Went there to enforce the Resource and Management Act There have been a few oud on since then, like running bus services. And look, I've been a longtime fan, long term fan of local government amalgamation. If you listen regularly, you'll know that I've always advocated for christ Church, Selwyn and WEIMARKEREDI to become one organization. But for a government minister like Shane Jones to stand up and give a speech to local government people and tell them that he wants to ditch regional councils, well, that is nothing short of arrogant. Just like this plan to let ministers like Chris Bishop interfare in council plans and district plans or whatever plans, interfere in them if he doesn't like what he sees, that's arrogant as well. But it's more than just arrogance. It's an attack on local democracy, which is apparently something the government values when it suits. It would seem because when he was announcing these new powers yesterday which are going to be enforced until all the changes to the Resource Management Act have gone through. When Chris Bishop was announcing these new powers yesterday, he said, quote, we know this is a significant step, but the rima's devolution of ultimate power to local authorities just has not worked. End of quote, which is code for do you know what that's code for. It's code for saying, even though we say we're all into local decision making, we're only into it when it suits us. And in fact I'm going to go further. This isn't just an attack on local democracy. This smells like a government dictatorship to me.

I reckon the government, Well, I think you will as well. It's been making it increasingly clear over time that it doesn't really give two hoots about local democracy, and in the last twenty four hours it's gone next level, absolutely next level, and I think the government needs to pull its head in. And I gather Phil Major's going to tell us certain hour's time that the government's got a fight on its hands. I think he thinks the government needs to pull its head in as well. And why is that? Or for a couple of reasons. First up, we've got Housing Minister Chris Bishop, who announced yesterday that he's going to be given special powers to ride roughshot over council plans if he doesn't like them, district plans, whatever plans. If he doesn't like them, he can step in. Essentially, if he thinks a council has a plan that doesn't support economic growth and development, or it has a plan that won't do anything to create jobs, then he can come in over the top and say no, no, no, no no, you're not going to do that. No, no, no, none of that nonsense. In fact, from what I've been reading this morning, it seems any government minister is going to be able to modify or remove aspects of council plans that they don't agree with. Talk about big brother. That's not all Chris Bishop. He's got himself into a spat with the City Council overnight, saying that the council's failed attempt to push back on the government's housing intensification rules was quote nuts. He said it was nuts. He sounded like amazinging He's saying, quote it is an inarguable, inarguable and sometimes uncomfortable fact that local government has been one of the largest barriers to housing growth in New Zealand, going on to say, quote Croatia City Council just outright defied its legal obligations. Signed off with the accusation that the council was nuts if it thought it was going to get away with not doing what the government wanted it to do. A table thumping. Even though I didn't have a problem with Chris Bishop declining that request for christ Church to be treated as a special case and not to have to go along with the government's housing intensification policy, even though I thought I thought Chris I said last week. Remember I thought Chris Bishop he'd made the right decision. Nevertheless, I think he needs to pull his head in a bit. But this attack on local democracy, because this is what it is, This attack on local democracy doesn't stop with Chris Bishop. Shane Jones. He's added as well, saying in a speech to local government leaders last night that regional councils have had their day and he wants to get rid of them. What is the point of local regional government? He said when he stood up at the lectern in Wellington last night. He seems to think that with all the changes the government's making to the Resource Management Act, we're not going to need regional councils like I can anymore, saying there is less and less of a justifiable purpose for maintaining regional government. Lordie, I do can't get that, because I know a few people in local government and if asked them recently, where they see the likes of ECAN going. If the government is going to give the Resource Management Act the hepo because that's what regional councils will set up to do in the first place. Went there to enforce the Resource and Management Act There have been a few oud on since then, like running bus services. And look, I've been a longtime fan, long term fan of local government amalgamation. If you listen regularly, you'll know that I've always advocated for christ Church, Selwyn and WEIMARKEREDI to become one organization. But for a government minister like Shane Jones to stand up and give a speech to local government people and tell them that he wants to ditch regional councils, well, that is nothing short of arrogant. Just like this plan to let ministers like Chris Bishop interfare in council plans and district plans or whatever plans, interfere in them if he doesn't like what he sees, that's arrogant as well. But it's more than just arrogance. It's an attack on local democracy, which is apparently something the government values when it suits. It would seem because when he was announcing these new powers yesterday which are going to be enforced until all the changes to the Resource Management Act have gone through. When Chris Bishop was announcing these new powers yesterday, he said, quote, we know this is a significant step, but the rima's devolution of ultimate power to local authorities just has not worked. End of quote, which is code for do you know what that's code for. It's code for saying, even though we say we're all into local decision making, we're only into it when it suits us. And in fact I'm going to go further. This isn't just an attack on local democracy. This smells like a government dictatorship to me.

For more from Canterbory Mornings with John McDonald, listen live to news talks It'd be christ Church from nine am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio

For more from Canterbory Mornings with John McDonald, listen live to news talks It'd be christ Church from nine am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio