RMA Survey of Local Authorities

Every two years local authorities participate in a survey to examine key aspects of the Resource Management Act (RMA) process.

This page provides information on:

Improvements to the 2012/2013 Survey

The next RMA survey covers the period 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013. The survey questionnaire was released to local authorities on 15 June 2012.  Responses will be collected from 1 to 30 July 2013.

The 2012/13 RMA Survey has been redesigned in consultation with representatives from regional, unitary and district councils to provide greater clarity around the purpose of the survey questions and to reduce the burden to councils in completing the survey.

Key improvements include:

  • survey questions have been linked to desired end-outcomes of the RMA
  • qualitative information will be collected to provide better context to quantitative data.

A number of questions in previous surveys have been retained to ensure comparability over the different surveys (the 2012/13 RMA survey is the 11th survey since 1995).


View the 2012/13 RMA Survey advanced questionnaire (PDF, 517 KB)

View previous reports of the survey results

Future RMA monitoring work

The Ministry is developing an Implementation Framework for the RMA to create a systematic and transparent way to collect information about how local authorities implement the RMA. The framework will consist of two independent but interrelated projects: an Expectations System and a National Monitoring System.

The Expectations System will support the Minister in monitoring the performance of the RMA. This work will provide councils with greater transparency of what they are expected to achieve and how their performance will be measured.

Work is also underway to develop a National Integrated Monitoring System to monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the RMA. The Monitoring System will provide a transparent and coordinated approach to the capture and sharing of nationally consistent and comparable information on the RMA. The project also seeks to achieve efficiencies in how information is captured and will integrate current national RMA monitoring processes.  
The Ministry is working with a number of councils to develop a National Monitoring System for wider consultation in early 2013. For more information visit the Monitoring and Review Project web page.

Why do we do the survey?

The RMA survey:

  • helps the Minister for the Environment monitor how the RMA is being put into practice
  • highlights trends in implementing the RMA, as well as areas where performance by local authorities may require greater attention
  • promotes good practice under the RMA and improves local authorities’ performance
  • enables each local authority to compare its performance with others
  • provides local authorities with information to more accurately respond to enquiries about RMA processes.

The RMA survey report provides information about key RMA processes including:

  • the numbers and types of resource consent applications processed
  • the time taken to process them
  • resource consent application charges
  • monitoring, compliance, complaints and enforcement of consents
  • Māori participation in RMA processes
  • good practice by local authorities
  • the numbers and types of plan changes and variations.

The survey does not measure:

  • the performance of the RMA in delivering better environmental outcomes, or
  • how well individual local authorities deliver these outcomes – this measurement occurs through state of the environment monitoring and reporting at both the national and local level.

The comparisons drawn from the survey allow us to:

  • identify local authorities that are complying with statutory requirements and recommended good practice
  • stimulate discussion about differences between similar local authorities
  • promote benchmarking and improvements in performance.

View previous reports

 

Last updated: 31 January 2013