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Resource Management Act: Administration of the RMA

The Ministry advises and assists the Minister for the Environment with his/her responsibilities under the RMA. These include applications for water conservation orders, requiring authorities, heritage protection authorities and requests for ministerial intervention.

Designations and requiring authorities
We provide information on the process for becoming a requiring authority, list requiring authorities, and the process for making a designation.

Heritage orders and heritage protection authorities
We provide information on the process for becoming a heritage protection authority, and the process for including a heritage order in a district plan.

Water conservation orders
We provide information on applying for a water conservation order, applications that are currently being considered and orders that are in place.

Proposals of national significance under the RMA
The RMA allows the Minister for the Environment to intervene in proposals of national significance if the Minister receives a request from an applicant, a council or if the Minister decides of his or her own volition to intervene.  The Minister may also intervene in proposals that have been lodged with the EPA when these are considered to be of national significance. The Minister’s intervention powers include: calling-in a project, making a Crown submission or appointing project coordinators to assist the council.  

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is now responsible for administering and making recommendations to the Minister on proposals of national significance. The EPA currently functions as a statutory office within the Ministry.

Ministerial responsibilities
The Minister for the Environment has a range of tools that may be used for assisting local government with resource management planning and decision-making. 

Status of council plans
We provide information on the status of council plans that have been lodged with us, and links to plans that are available on the web.

Surveys and other research
We survey local authorities to obtain core information about resource consent processes carried out by local authorities under the RMA. We also undertake other RMA research.

Last updated: 1 October 2009