About this episode

Peter Williams interviews Simon Court about the planning rules hindering infrastructure development in New Zealand.

In this episode of Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams is joined by ACT’s infrastructure and resource management spokesman Simon Court to take aim at the planning rules he says are stopping New Zealand from building the homes, roads, ports, quarries, power lines, and infrastructure we desperately need. From eye-watering consent costs and “cultural shakedowns” to lizard surveys, gold-plated planning rules, and councils blocking growth while infrastructure falls apart, Simon explains why the RMA repl...

People in this episode

Host: Peter Williams

Guest: Simon Court

Topics covered

• infrastructure
• resource management
• planning rules
• housing
• politics
• New Zealand

Keywords

• RMA
• infrastructure
• planning rules
• New Zealand
• housing crisis
• Simon Court
• ACT
• consent costs
• cultural shakedowns

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ACT, New Zealand Taxpayers' Union Inc.

Places: New Zealand

More episodes of Taxpayer Talk

• Taxpayer Talk: Grover Norquist on No New Taxes and holding politicians to it · September 11, 2026 · 48 min
• Taxpayer Talk: Jordan Williams and Oliver Hartwich on MMP Gaming and Overhang Chaos · September 3, 2026 · 21 min
• Taxpayer Talk: Paul Henry on ACT, Tax Cuts, and Taking an Axe to Wellington · August 31, 2026 · 1h 4m
• Taxpayer Talk: Deputy PM David Seymour on woke regulators, KiwiSaver, and ACT’s election fight · July 8, 2026 · 40 min
• Taxpayer Talk: Jordan Williams and economist Cam Bagrie on Budget 2026 · May 28, 2026 · 17 min
• Taxpayer Talk: Nick Clark and Jordan Williams on why council amalgamation could make town halls even worse · May 25, 2026 · 1h 4m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Taxpayer Talk podcast page.