Consent Process

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To help us make the process easier for you, please help us identify all the consents you require when you make an application.

How do I Apply for a Consent?

If you are considering doing something which may require a resource consent, Environment Southland staff can explain whether the Resource Management Act requires you to obtain a consent. If a consent is required staff can also provide guidance on carrying out an effects assessment and what consultation would be considered appropriate for your proposal.

What if I Require a Consent from Another Local Authority too?

You may need to obtain resource consents from your city or district council for certain activities. District and city councils and Environment Southland will seek to co-ordinate the processing of joint applications and hold joint hearings where necessary.

What Sort of Information Do I Need?

Applicants must supply enough information for Environment Southland to assess the application fully, and so that any other interested parties can understand its implications for them. Applications submitted with insufficient information will be returned to the applicant.

The degree of detail required depends on the scale and nature of the proposal, but all should include:

  • Details of location
  • A description of the proposal
  • A description of consultation
  • An assessment of environmental effects
  • Details of the nature of any discharges or hazardous substances
  • Information about proposed monitoring

For more complex matters, such as discharges or uses in sensitive areas, you should discuss the scope and content of this information with our staff.

Your application will be assessed against the criteria set out in Sections 104, 105 and 107 of the Resource Management Act, which fall under four headings;

  • Does the proposal conflict with any policies, plans, Conservation Orders, and regulations?
  • Does the proposal conflict with anything set out in Part II of the Act relating to sustainability, matters of national importance, the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and a range of other matters, including efficient use of natural resources, protection of wildlife habitat, traditional Maori values, heritage sites and areas, and maintenance and enhancement of the environment?
  • What effects, positive and negative, will your proposal have on the environment?
  • What alternatives have been considered, particularly relating to applications to discharge contaminants to the environment, and why have you chosen the one you have?

For some applications, the consents officer may wish to make a site visit. Generally, applicants will only be contacted during the assessment if further information is required.

Public Notification of Consent

Applications are publicly notified by Environment Southland in the form of newspaper advertisements, site notices and letters to affected persons. Anyone may make a submission supporting or opposing an application. Applications will generally not be notified if the effect on the environment will be minor and all potentially affected parties give their written approval.

How Much Will My Consent Cost?

The Council seeks to recover from the applicants the full cost of processing applications. A deposit is required with applications. The amount of the deposit depends upon the scale of the proposal, its effects and the manner in which the application will be processed.

Annual User Charges

Holders of resource consents must pay an annual charge. This goes towards the administration, monitoring and supervision of consents.

The Decision Making Process

We will evaluate applications and all accompanying information, and report to Council or to a hearing. Non-notified applications are generally decided on by senior Council staff.

Hearings may be held at which applicants and submitters can present their cases. The Council will generally seek first to negotiate solutions by holding discussions with all interested parties.

Notified applications are decided on by an appropriate Council committee or (where required) by a hearings committee. The Council will appoint independent commissioners in cases where there may be a conflict with the Council’s own interests.

Can I Appeal a Decision?

Any applicant or submitter may appeal the Council’s decisions on applications to the Environment Court. Appeals must be lodged within 15 working days of notice of the Council's decision being received.

Monitoring of Consents

The Council must monitor the use of consents and resulting impacts on the environment. Significant consents may be subject to individual monitoring programmes, with a key element being self-monitoring by the consent holder.

Do you have a complaint, request, or compliment? We welcome your feedback.