Economy emphasised by Planning Council

Press, 31 May 1977, Page 7

Economy emphasised by Planning Council

PA Dunedin. Emphasis by the New Zealand Planning Council must be on planning toward restoring a balance in overseas transactions and bringing and keeping inflation under control, according to Dr R. O. H. Irvine, convener of the council's steering committee on social and cultural development. He told the Plastics Institute’s biennial conference in Queenstown that the council would also plan for social justice, a pleasant environment and fostering cultural and recreational activities. As well as his committee, three other committees of the council would deal with economic efficiency and future economic structure, economic stability and national and regional planning. Dr Irvine said that the assigning of the National Development portfolio to Mr Gair suggested that the Government felt effective planning was important. The other two portfolios held by Mr Gair, Regional Development and Energy Resources, were areas likely to assume significance in future planning.

He said that to make planning more effective, the council would have to work largely through other agencies. “It must stimulate Governmental, local and private agencies to look ahead and to consider long-term national-interest as well as their own objectives,” he said. He said that there would have to be more opportunities for constructive consultation about how the objectives of different groups and the Government could be harmonised. This would have to take into account the resources likely to be available to the nation. “I do not need to remind this gathering of the central economic fact that this country’s resources are limited,” Dr Irvine said. He said that this placed constraints on what could be done by the availability of management and labour skills, capital, access to materials and technology, and the efficiency with which these could work together. “The limits on all these resources compel New Zealand to develop the capacity to do better with what it has,” he said.

He said that the work of economists on the steering committee dealing with economic efficiency, economic flexibility, future economic structure and economic stability would not be easy. He did not want to give the impression that the Government alone could solve the country’s problems. There were many things in the future quality of life in New Zealand that the Government had only limited power to influence. In particular, it could not do much by rules and regulations to improve management-worker, trade union-employer, or familycommunity relationships. “The members of the Planning Council hope that the system of consultative planning which they will develop during the next few years can make some contribution to improving these relationships by reducing the distance between Government and the people,” Dr Irvine said. He said that he hoped people would be stimulated to think of national as well as individual or sectional issues. He looked toward promoting a sense of common purpose in building a better society.