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Annual Survey of Local Authorities

Key Facts About Local Authorities and Resource Consents in 2001/2002

The Resource Management Act: Key Facts About Local Authorities and Resource Consents in 2001/2002

What is the RMA survey of local authorities?

Every two years the Ministry for the Environment carries out the Resource Management Act (RMA) survey of all 86 local authorities in New Zealand. The survey includes questions about six key aspects of RMA process:

• numbers and types of resource consents processed
• the charges to applicants for resource consent applications
• the time taken to process resource consents
• good practice by local authorities
• Māori participation in RMA processes
• monitoring, compliance and enforcement.

While the primary purpose of the survey is to monitor the effect and implementation of the RMA, the survey results have the added advantage of:

• promoting good practice and improved performance in local authorities
• providing a factual basis for analysing and responding to criticisms of the RMA
• allowing individual local authorities to compare performance with their peers.

The full report on the RMA survey of local authorities can be found on the Ministry for the Environment’s website at: www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/rma/annual-survey/index.html

Five key facts from the 2001/02 financial year

• 49,012 resource consents were processed through to a decision.
• 274 (0.6%) of resource consents were declined.
• 2,921 (6.0%) of resource consents were publicly notified (ie, public comment or submission was sought).
• 82% of all resource consents were processed within statutory time limits (ie, the standard timeframes set in the RMA).
• 69% of publicly notified consents were processed within statutory time limits.

Resource consents

Local authorities provide the Ministry for the Environment with information about the resource consents they process.

· Local authorities received 52,935 applications for resource consents in 2001/02 of which 49,012 were processed through to a decision (1,225 applications were withdrawn by applicants).

• 274 (0.6%) resource consents were declined.
• 2,921 (6.0%) resource consents were publicly notified, an increase from the 2,417 (5.0%) that were publicly notified in 1999/2000.
• 84% of resource consent applications were able to be processed by local authority officers ie, without the need to engage at councillor or commissioner level.
• 893 (1.8%) of all resource consent decisions were appealed to the Environment Court – 486 (1.1%) were appealed in 1999/2000.

Resource consent applications processed in 2001/02

Consents processed within time

The RMA sets standard timeframes (statutory time limits) for the processing of resource consents.

• 82% of all resource consents were processed within statutory time limits.
• 69% of publicly notified consents were processed within statutory time limits – an improvement from the 63% processed within time in 1999/2000.
• To complete the consent process, further information was requested from 35% of resource consent applicants.
• When further information is requested, 79% of local authorities process the resource consent within the original timeframe ie, the clock isn’t reset to zero.

Charges to applicants for resource consent applications

Consent charges vary depending on the type of consent (eg, whether the consent is notified or non-notified, which type of local authority issued the consent).

Good practice by local authorities

The results of the RMA survey are used to highlight and monitor the use of best practice by local authorities.

• 88% of local authorities formally receive resource consent applications within one full working day of their arrival at the council office ie, the consent process began within one day of consent applications being lodged. This is an improvement from the 80% in 1999/2000.
• 79% of local authorities do not reset the resource consent processing time-limit clock back to zero once they receive requested further information from applicants. This best practice has improved from the 72% of local authorities that did not reset the clock to zero in 1999/2000.
• 85% of local authorities formally monitor and report consent processing performance and make the results available to ratepayers.

Māori participation in RMA processes

Under the RMA local authorities have an obligation to take into account the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi).

• 49% of local authorities made a formal budgetary commitment to Māori/Iwi participation in resource management processes.
• The average specified budgetary commitment made by local authorities for Māori/Iwi participation in RMA processes is $69,845. This is an increase from $49,981 in 1999/2000.
• 59% of local authorities provide their staff with guidance on matters of consultation and notification where Māori/Iwi are likely to be affected parties in a resource consent application.

Monitoring, compliance and enforcement

Monitoring the state of the environment, the effectiveness of policy and plans, resource consents and complaints is a requirement of local authorities under the RMA.

Percentage of local authorities undertaking monitoring

• 72% of resource consents requiring monitoring during the survey period complied with their consent conditions.
• 85 local authorities issued 620 infringement notices in 2001/02: 326 were defended (appealed) in the Environment Court, 47 were not proceeded with, the remainder were paid directly or were still in progress at the end of the survey period.

Number of resource consents processed by local authorities

Local authorities are grouped into family groups according to their authority type and, in the case of the 70 territorial authorities, the number of resource consents that they process.

Local authority family groups and resource consents processed in 2001/02

Family Group 1

Family Group 2

Family Group 3

Family Group 4

Regional councils

Unitary Authorities

Total resource consents processed: 49,012

Next survey

The next RMA survey of local authorities will take place in the 2003/04 financial year. The survey questionnaire will be released before 30 June 2003. Responses will be collected from local authorities after 31 July 2004.

For more information

If you would like to know more about the RMA Survey of Local Authorities contact the Ministry for the Environment by phoning us on (04) 917 7400 or writing to us at PO Box 10-362, Wellington.