Source: ACT Party
Responding to news that the resource consent for a McDonald’s in Wānaka has been declined, ACT Environment spokesperson Cameron Luxton says:
“A legitimate business has been blocked from investing, hiring locals, and selling products to willing buyers. This is an economic own-goal for Wānaka, and it shows how our planning regime stifles development.
“McDonald’s spent a year of time and resource fighting bureaucracy and bureaucratic NIMBYism while offering to make major compromises. We’re meant to be going for growth, but you have to wonder why anyone wanting to build or expand a business would even bother when this is the potential outcome.
“Clearly there was demand for a McDonald’s, but would-be customers now miss out because noisy opponents were able to weaponise a planning regime that is hostile to development.
“We’ve all got opinions on McDonald’s, but no-one is forced to buy a Big Mac. As far as the law is concerned, what ought to matter is that the building is sturdy, the food is safe, and the property rights of neighbours aren’t impacted. The opinions of lobby groups, busybodies, and would-be competitors shouldn’t come into it.
“My colleague Simon Court is working to replace the Resource Management Act with a system that respects property rights. That means letting people build, and letting people enjoy the products and services of their choice. This can’t come soon enough.
“This saga also highlights a failure in the culture of our health authorities. The National Public Health Service spent precious resources opposing this restaurant. That’s not democracy, it’s wasteful bureaucratic interference.”
