Congratulations—your resource consent has been granted!
A resource consent is a legal document granted under the Resource Management Act 1991. It authorises you to carry out certain activities that may affect the environment, but each consent comes with conditions you must follow.
It is your responsibility to read the consent carefully and make sure you understand all of its conditions. Some conditions have timeframes—for example, notifying the Council of your designated contact person. Setting reminders in your calendar can help you stay on top of compliance and reporting deadlines, which may be years away.
Consent conditions: These set out what you need to do for each activity. Some consents cover multiple activities, with a separate “sub-consent” for each one (for example, one for a surface water intake structure and another for taking and using the water). The conditions outline what you must monitor to show how the activity affects the environment. The consent document is usually split into sections, such as Water Use Monitoring, which may cover water meters, recording data, and submitting records.
Advice Notes: These usually appear at the end of the consent and are linked to specific conditions. They give useful extra information—such as links to Environmental Monitoring Standards or instructions for submitting reports—without cluttering the main conditions.
Reviews and compliance: The Council can review your consent if rules change or if new environmental or cultural effects are identified. Compliance simply means meeting the consent conditions. Some conditions require ongoing compliance (like discharge limits), while others involve periodic actions (like submitting a report). You are legally bound to comply, and breaching conditions may result in warnings, fines, or other penalties.
Expiry date: Every consent has an expiry date. You cannot continue the activity beyond this unless you apply for and are granted a new consent, or you qualify for Section 124 rights.
Jessica Hunter
Environmental Consultant