How to apply for a resource consentMe pēhea te tono whakaaetanga rawa taiao

Applying for a resource consent can be complex, and recent changes in the Resource Management Act means more detail is needed in each application.  Our aim is to help save time and money by ensuring your application is complete when it is submitted. These resource consent pages have a lot of information to help you.

10 Step Guide
Pre-application meeting
Who to talk to about your application
Tukituki Applications
How to submit applications
Important advice

Application Forms & Guides

• Activities in Coastal Hazard Zones
• Activities in Coastal Marine Area
• Activities in the Tukituki Catchment
• Bore Permit
• Discharging Contaminants to Air, Land, Water
• Discharging Dairy Farm Effluent
• Discharging onsite Wastewater
• Discharging Stormwater
• Gravel extraction
• Intensive winter grazing activities
• Taking Water
• Work in Waterways
• Forestry NES-PF

10 Step Guide

Our 10 Step Guide is designed to walk you through the resource consent application process.

1. First you need to establish whether or not your activity is in the coastal environment. This determines whether the Regional Coastal Environment Plan, or the Regional Resource Management Plan is governing your activity. Check here to establish whether your activity falls in to the Coastal Environment Plan.
2. If your application is in the Tukituki catchment you also need to be aware of specific rules due to RRMP Plan Change 6.
3. Then decide which consent or consents you may need for your project – choose from the drop down menu on side navigation bar. On each webpage there is advice, and technical information about the consent requirements plus a Guidance Note PDF to refer to when completing your application, as this information is very thorough (print this if it’s easier to use).This is also where you will find the necessary application forms for your activity.
4. A discussion with our Consents Adviser is also advisable at this stage to discuss your particular needs and costs, +64 6 833 8090. A pre-application meeting may also be useful or necessary.
5. Complete and sign administration form ‘A’ – this form ensures the Regional Council has all the information we need to keep in touch with you. This requires your signature so you can either complete online and print to sign, or print and complete by hand. Note that for work in a stream, river or lake you may also need the landowner’s signature if you are not the landowner.
6. A trust, partnership or company? If your application is to be held by a trust or partnership we require the full names of all trustees or partners. An application from a company requires the name of a director or authorised agent; for a company to hold a consent, it must be a New Zealand company registered with the New Zealand Companies Office.
7. Complete an Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE), form ‘B’ – this is the main application form (See how to submit). This needs to be detailed, so please refer to the guidance notes as you complete the form, to check what you need to include. If you are using a consultant to complete this, they will know to provide a full report.
8. You may need to talk with other parties who may be affected by your project.
9. Include an accurate map showing the location of the proposed activity and any other relevant information.
10. Pay the required deposit - the application cannot be lodged until this has been paid.

Pre application meeting

A pre-application meeting can be useful; discuss this with the consents advisor. Some activities may not require resource consent, but there may be some conditions in the Regional Resource Management Plan that your activity must comply with.

Who to talk to about your application

Consents vary in complexity and there are only a few instances where you must consult with specific parties.  In applying for most consents (for water takes, discharges etc) there is no requirement to consult. However we recommend you to talk with people who may be affected by your work, ie neighbours, groups such as the Department of Conservation, Fish and Game, tangata whenua or affected members of the public when preparing your application as there can be benefits. If you are applying for resource consents in the coastal and marine area, in some cases you are required to consult with the Customary Marine Title applicant group prior to lodging your application.

For more information about who to talk to go to our 'Who to talk to' page here.

How to submit your application

Once you have completed the application forms which are applicable to your activity, you can submit your application by various methods.  The Regional Council is working on making it simpler to do this online.

Applications can be lodged via email or physically to any of our offices, please check the front page of your applications Form A for full lodgement instructions.

Email – Send your signed application and any attachments to the Consents advisor ( +646 835 9200 ) ConsentAdvisor@hbrc.govt.nz. Once we receive your application we will send you instructions for making an online payment via internet banking.

The Regional Council office – deliver your signed application to the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council office at 159 Dalton Street Napier. You can pay by  cash or EFTPOS at reception.  Please note that Waipawa and Wairoa offices do not have payment facilities.

IMPORTANT

Pre-application - Any views expressed by the Regional Council staff in or following a pre-application meeting are the preliminary views of those staff, made in good faith based on the information supplied and their own knowledge of the relevant rules and provisions.

Pre-application costs - There may be costs associated with pre-applications meetings where these are likely to involve multiple the Regional Council staff members and more than one hour of combined staff time. You will be charged for the time spent by the Regional Council staff on these pre-application matters. You may be asked to agree to payment of any such charges prior to the pre-application meeting.

Professional advice
It is the applicant’s responsibility to take their own professional planning and/or legal advice, and to rely solely on that advice in making any application for consents, permits or licenses.