Consultation before lodging
Consultation with your neighbours, tāngata whenua (Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu), users of the same water source, or interest groups such as the Department of Conservation or Fish & Game, may be required before we can decide on a resource consent.
We're happy to provide guidance on who you might need to approach and give you appropriate contacts.
Why consult?
Consultation will generally help reduce unexpected concerns being raised during the processing of a resource consent application. Time spent on consultation, and ensuring your proposal addresses concerns raised before your application is lodged, may avoid notification and a possible hearing.
Make sure your application includes information about who you consulted with and the outcomes. If you don’t, your application may be returned for more detail.
We recommend you talk to anyone who may be adversely affected by your proposed project or who may have an interest in the environment in general before you lodge your application.
This can include the local Ngāi Tahu rūnanga, your neighbours (adjacent landowners and occupiers), other users of the resource, the Department of Conservation, and Heritage New Zealand.
If the effects of your activity are limited to your site, then consultation may not be needed.
Who are affected parties?
An affected party is a person who may experience an adverse effect as a result of your application. This will depend on the nature and type of your activity, but may include:
- Owners, occupiers and users of adjacent and nearby land
- Downstream water users
- Users of the same groundwater resource
- Tāngata whenua (Ngāi Tahu)
- Department of Conservation
- Fish & Game
- Occupiers of land living near discharge of odour
- Any rating districts established for flood control purposes.
For some consents, you may wish to provide written approval from persons likely to be affected using the written approval form on the resource consent application forms page.
Ngāi Tahu and the resource consent process
Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and Environment Canterbury have worked in partnership to prepare advice to assist resource consent applicants.
Matters of importance to Ngāi Tahu should be identified and addressed in resource consent applications and there should be an engagement between applicants and Ngāi Tahu.
Find out more about Ngāi Tahu and the consent process.