Public Works Act overhaul clears first hurdle
Legislation to bring about a fairer and faster system for securing land for public infrastructure projects has passed its first reading in Parliament.
The Public Works Amendment Bill will accelerate infrastructure delivery while protecting landowners’ rights, raise compensation, improve disputes processes and make it easier for landowners and agencies to navigate the system.
Reforms to the Public Works Act are significant. Key changes include:
Incentive payments worth 10 percent of the land value, up to $100,000, for landowners who agree to sell before a Notice of Intention is issued.
Updated home-loss and land-loss payments to recognise the disruption caused by acquisition, on top of land value and incentive payments:
the home-loss base payment will increase from $35,000 to $50,000
land-loss payments will increase from $250-$25,000 to $350-$35,000
home-loss payments will extend to multiple homes on a property.
Simpler acquisition processes including allowing government agencies and local authorities to work together to acquire land for connected public projects and enabling Transpower to bypass standard processes to acquire land directly.
Clarifying factors the Environment Court can consider when reviewing objections to land acquisitions, with a renewed focus on individual property rights and reduced overlap with the Resource Management Act.
Emergency provisions to support disaster recovery by allowing land acquisition after a state of emergency to support infrastructure restoration and community recovery.
Stronger safeguards for Māori land and fairer compensation by correcting a legal discrepancy that undervalues Māori freehold land.