IS LOCAL GOVERNMENT OUT OF CONTROL?

The increased rumblings on compliance costs, delays and process frustrations hilight the impact local Government bureaucracy is having on NZ.   The stories are hair raising and according to some, are making a lot of small scale building unachievable.
Council reactions to the lunacy created by NZ's insistence on retaining Joint and Several Liability, which has left them carrying the costs in an increasing litigious society, has multiplied the compliance documents they require tenfold!  To avoid possible legal suits they have submerged the process in a sea of demands and imposed a process that is often breathtakingly arrogant.  Has it improved the situation?  Unlikely! 
Central Government seems averse to providing effective leadership - and is tip toeing around the issue, throwing out crumbs of reform that do not address the substantive issues.
But architects don't help!  On the one hand they claim the right to be the arbiters of design and construction standards, On the other they seldom agree within themselves on design issues.  And they often become advocates for vested interests which compromise the bigger picture.
What's the answer?  I suspect a reduction in the 'policemen' role of Local Government, the acceptance of other's skills, and an equitable allocation of responsibility will help.  A little humility by the vocal members of the architectural profession will also help.

PLEASE TAKE CARE DR SMITH - BIO- DIVERSITY'S TOO IMPORTANT TO PLAY POLITICS

Few will disagree with the goal of protecting New Zealand's unique bio-diversity.  And the debate will always be articulated by extreme positions.   The reality for most Kiwis will lie somewhere in the middle. 
Bio-diversity is too important to be dictated by extreme views, or subjected to political ideology.
So the challenge for Dr Smith and the government, is to achieve a strategy that can accommodate most positions within acceptable goals.  It needs real national leadership - not profile posturing!
Here is an opportunity for the government to implement policy that recognises locality differences and respects local knowledge and history.  It should accommodate site specific demands and imperatives.    It is an opportunity to show a new kind of governance - one that can realistically engage with informed stakeholders.
One size will not fit all - but the goals will be the constant.   The differences between farmers and conservationists can be bridged by a flexible and responsive government.  Such an approach can illustrate a process desperately needed in the RMA, Building Act to name but two.