EMA launches election manifesto for business

The EMA today launches its manifesto for the election outlining the 10 biggest issues identified by its members. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Reform of the Resource Management Act remains the number one policy issue for the upcoming election, according to business lobby group the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA)

The EMA today launches its manifesto for the election outlining the 10 biggest issues identified by its members.

Reform of the resource management system was top of the list because it was both failing to promote growth and failing top protect the environment, said EMA chief executive Kim Campbell.

The EMA produced a manifesto "to signal upfront what the business community thinks is important regardless of the hue of your political persuasion," he said. "We hope that it will inform a more policy-driven political discourse."

The other issues were not ranked in any particular order but included: infrastructure investment, increased funding options for local government , more measures to ease Auckland congestion, a review of electricity transmission pricing, growing exports, encouraging innovation, managing the ageing workforce, updating the Holidays Act and closing the skills and training gaps.

EMA members up and down the country had been canvassed to come up with the top 10, he said.

"People who know us will know how we feel about these issues but we have an election now," Campbell said.

" So we're asking members to put a filter across their view of candidates based on these issues."

There was meat in the manifesto for all the political parties to consider, he said.

"These are not trivial. Should transport lead economic development, what are we going to do about balancing the environment and economic growth in city planning, are our infrastructure funding mechanisms fit for purpose in the 21st century?"