You are here: Laws and treaties National environmental standards Sources of human drinking-water

What is a Section 32 report?

Section 32 is part of the Resource Management Act. It sets out some requirements that councils and the government need to follow if they are bringing in a new plan, policy statement or regulation.

The national environmental standard is a regulation, so the Government has to prepare a section 32 report as part of the process of making a national environmental standard. This report must be available for public inspection.

The section 32 analysis aims to determine that the chosen method (e.g. a national environmental standard) is the most appropriate way of addressing the relevant issue. It also requires evaluation of the costs and benefits of the proposal. It assists with reasoning why a particular method is needed and formalises a process for working out how best to deal with environmental issues.

If you would like more information about section 32 reports, see the Quality Planning website.