The Resource Management Act requires us to ensure that effects on the environment are well managed. One way we do this is to decide whether to grant resource consents to people wanting to do things that might affect the environment.

Every day, people apply for resource consents for activities such as building a new house, subdividing their property, discharging wastewater into a stream, moving earth or discharging pollution into the air.

We are moving to a more consistent approach to processing resource consents and you are able to use standardised application forms from now. The existing district and regional plans will not change until a new plan is developed by the council.