Key says Rena is not his call

John Key addressed a combined assembly for Tauranga Boys' and Girls' Colleges in the Tauranga Boys' College Gym.Photo/John Borren

Prime Minister John Key says it is not up to the Government to decide whether the Rena wreck should be removed from Astrolabe Reef.

Local iwi and others have vowed to fight a resource consent plan from Rena's owners and insurers to leave Rena on the reef.

The Prime Minister, speaking at a press conference at The Village Childcare centre in Bethlehem yesterday during his visit to Tauranga, declined to take a position on the debate.

"My view is that the regional council and the Environment Court need to make those decisions.

"It wouldn't be overly helpful if I jumped into a process that's ongoing," he said.

Mr Key said the most important thing was for people to put in their submissions.

"I'm sure the regional council, and ultimately if it goes on to the Environment Court, will very carefully consider those decisions or those submissions."

When challenged by the Bay of Plenty Times whether the Government should take a stand, Mr Key said the decision did not lie with the Government but instead with local authorities.

"In the end the appropriate place for that decision to be made is by local people and representatives, and the regional council. If people don't agree with the decision the regional council makes then the Environment Court is the place to test that.

When asked whether he considered it fair that land-based businesses had been excluded from seeking compensation from Rena's insurer, Mr Key said he sympathised but there was "probably little" the Government could do.

"Ultimately these things are never easy. It's a great tragedy in terms of the Rena and the impact it had for some of those businesses ... I haven't seen any particular claims but it's really a matter for the insurers of the Rena and the individual companies.

"In reality the Rena is an issue that had a substantial impact on this area at the time but I would have thought for the most part people have moved on from that."

On the issue of improving Tauranga's affordable housing problem, Mr Key said the Government was doing a wide range of things across the country.

"Release of land has always been a big issue and it is possibly an issue here. We are certainly prepared to work with the local council for special housing area if they feel that is needed. Secondly we have been working on reducing the development contributions which again adds significant costs," he said.

Mr Key said the Government was also trying to reform the Resource Management Act to speed up the process of consents.

"You will have also seen in the recent budget that we reduced the duty on imported products used in the building sector ... Overall the Government is also working hard to make sure there is upward pressure on interest rates which makes a big difference to potential home buyers,"

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges and BOP National candidate Todd Muller also accompanied Mr Key.