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Glossary
A guide to acronyms (and abbreviations), words and phrases used throughout the Environment Canterbury website. Look in the 'By Subject' tab to find groups of terms relevant to a specific topic.
Some terms might have definitions in addition to those in this glossary.
Use the online Māori Dictionary to help with translating words between Te Reo Māori/English.
- Abatement notice
- a formal written notice that the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) specifies can be issued only by a warranted enforcement officer, requiring certain actions to be taken or to cease within a specified time where that enforcement officer believes on reasonable grounds (on the balance of probabilities) that there is or is likely to be a contravention of the RMA or an adverse effect on the environment.
- Abstraction
- in relation to a water body, means the taking of water from that water body.
- Affected parties
- people who may experience an effect as a result of a proposal which is significantly greater than or different from the effect on the general public.
- Air Plan
- the Proposed Canterbury Air Regional Plan sets out how we are going to manage air pollution from home heating, industry and other sources like outdoor burning, dust and odour.
- Ambient
- in relation to air quality, means background air quality. Ambient conditions are those not modified by specific sources.
- Amenity values
- natural or physical qualities and characteristics of an area that contribute to people's appreciation of its pleasantness, aesthetic coherence, and cultural and recreational attributes.
- Annual Exceedance Probability
- the probability of a certain size of flood flow occurring in a single year.
- Annual Volume
- is the total amount of water authorised via a water permit over a one-year period.
- Annual Volume calculator
- is an Excel spreadsheet which is intended to enable calculation of an annual volume for a specific area of irrigated land.
- Appurtenant structure
- in relation to a dam, means a structure that is integral to the safe functioning of the dam as a structure for retaining water or other fluid.
- Aquifer
- an underground gravel channel through which groundwater flows.
- Aruhe
- edible fern root.
- Assessment of Environmental Effects
- a report provided with a resource consent application. It outlines the effects that the proposed activity might have on the environment.
- A&P
- Agricultural and Pastoral
- ACC
- Accident Compensation Corporation
- advert
- advertisement
- AEE
- Assessment of Environmental Effects
- AEJ
- Alternative Environmental Justice
- AEP
- Annual Exceedence Probability
- AIC
- Amuri Irrigation Collective
- AIS
- Automatic Identification System
- am
- ante meridiem = morning (before noon)
- AMF
- ad medium filium
- app
- application
- approx
- approximately
- Apr
- April
- ARI
- Average Recurrence Interval
- asl
- above sea level
- Aug
- August
- Ave
- Avenue
Environment Canterbury © 2026
Retrieved: 11:58am, Tue 24 Mar 2026
ecan.govt.nz/info/glossary
