S+SNZ Planning & Resource Management flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Sustainable management (s5 RMA)

Purpose of the RMA: managing the use, development, and protection of natural and physical resources to enable people and communities to provide for their social, economic, and cultural wellbeing and health and safety.

Matters of national importance

Section 6 RMA matters that decision-makers must recognise and provide for, including coastal natural character, outstanding landscapes, significant indigenous vegetation, historic heritage, and Māori relationships with ancestral lands.

Non-complying activity test

Under s104D, consent for a non-complying activity may be granted only if adverse effects are minor, or the activity is not contrary to the objectives and policies of the relevant plan or policy statement.

De novo Environment Court appeal

An appeal to the Environment Court on a plan or consent decision is heard afresh; the Court is not confined to the council's record and may receive new evidence, subject to procedural rules.

National Planning Standards

2019 standards issued under the RMA that prescribe the structure, format, definitions, and zone framework for policy statements and plans, improving consistency across councils.

Limited notification test

Under s95B, a consent is limited-notified to affected persons when effects are minor or more than minor but not public-notification level; only those persons may submit.

Affected person (s95E)

A person whose interest in the proposal is greater than the general public's, and whose interest may be adversely affected; they are entitled to limited notification and may make a submission.

Controlled activity

An activity listed in a plan as controlled must be granted consent, but conditions may be imposed only on matters over which the plan reserves control, such as design or landscaping.

AEE under Schedule 4

Assessment of Environmental Effects must describe the activity, actual and potential effects, affected persons, and mitigation; the level of detail should be proportionate to the scale and significance of effects.

Section 127 variation

A consent holder may apply to change or cancel conditions of a resource consent under s127; the council assesses the change against the same matters as the original consent.

Schedule 1 process

The statutory plan-making procedure: consultation, public notice, submissions, further submissions, hearings, decisions, and appeals, with specific timeframes for each step.

Section 32 evaluation

A report required before notifying a plan or change that examines the effectiveness and efficiency of objectives, policies, rules, and alternatives, including costs and benefits.

Section 32AA further evaluation

Required after hearings when changes are made to a proposed plan; it records the evaluation of the amended provisions and must be published with the decision.

Private plan change

A request by any person under s74 RMA to change a district or regional plan; it follows the Schedule 1 process and the council may accept or reject the request.

Regional policy statement

A document prepared by a regional council under s59–s62 RMA that states the significant resource management issues for the region and the policies and methods to address them.

NZGD2000

New Zealand Geodetic Datum 2000, the official geodetic datum for New Zealand, aligned to ITRF and used as the basis for cadastral and mapping coordinates.

NZTM2000 projection

New Zealand Transverse Mercator 2000, the standard map projection for national mapping and cadastral data, with coordinates in metres and a false origin.

Cadastral survey dataset

The authoritative record of parcel boundaries, survey measurements, and supporting documents lodged with LINZ under the Cadastral Survey Act 2002.

Licensed cadastral surveyor

A surveyor licensed by the Surveyor-General under the Cadastral Survey Act 2002 to certify cadastral surveys and deposit survey plans in New Zealand.

Esplanade reserve

A reserve of typically 20 metres along the sea, lakes, and rivers over 3 metres wide, required on subdivision under s229–s237 RMA to protect natural character and public access.

Consent notice (s221)

A notice registered on the land title under s221 RMA that binds subsequent owners to conditions of a resource consent, such as restrictions on further subdivision.

Section 224 completion certificate

A certificate issued by the council confirming that subdivision works and conditions have been met, allowing the survey plan to be deposited and titles issued.

Site coverage control

A district plan development control limiting the proportion of a site that may be covered by buildings, used to manage stormwater, amenity, and urban form.

Kaitiakitanga (s7(a))

The exercise of guardianship by tangata whenua over an area, in accordance with tikanga Māori; decision-makers must have particular regard to it under s7(a) RMA.

Section 81 Treaty obligation

Requires local authorities to take into account the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi when exercising powers and functions under the RMA, including plan-making and consent decisions.

Joint management agreement

An agreement under s36A RMA between a local authority and an iwi authority to jointly manage a natural or physical resource, transferring or sharing specified functions.

Archaeological authority

An authority from Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga required under the 2014 Act before modifying or destroying an archaeological site, separate from any RMA consent.

New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement

A national policy statement under the RMA that guides coastal management, including natural character, public access, and coastal hazard provisions, binding on regional and district plans.

Significant natural area

A district plan designation for land with significant indigenous vegetation or habitat, identified using criteria such as representativeness, rarity, and ecological context under s6(c).

NES Freshwater 2020

National environmental standards setting bottom lines for freshwater quality and ecosystem health, including nutrient and sediment limits, that regional plans must give effect to.

Conflict of interest disclosure

A professional obligation to declare any financial or personal interest that could influence judgement, and to recuse from decisions where a fair-minded observer might perceive bias.

Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

The primary New Zealand workplace safety statute; a PCBU must eliminate or minimise risks so far as reasonably practicable, including during field surveys and site work.