Get help to complete the following types of planning application forms:
- Application for resource consent (form 9)
- Application for deemed permitted boundary activity (form 9A)
- Application for certificate of compliance or existing use.
The guidance is set out by section of the application form.
All sections of the application form must be completed for your application to be accepted by us for processing.
Some forms will not include all sections as described on this page.
Full name of applicant and contact details
The applicant is the person named on any consent issued by us. The applicant can differ from the landowner.
The applicant must provide details of who they are, with associated address and contact details.
Type of consent sought
You must identify the type of consent(s) sought. The onus is on the applicant to seek all necessary consents.
Fast-Track application
Where your application is only for a Land Use consent with a controlled activity status under the District Plan, you can request us to follow the fast-track procedure in processing your consent.
This will enable your consent to be processed in 10 working days, rather than 20 working days.
You must have an electronic address for service to opt into this process.
Should your application require notification or a hearing to determine the application it will cease to be processed under the fast-track procedure.
Description of proposed activity
The description should:
- clearly describe what you are proposing to do with your property; and
- where the application is for a resource consent or deemed permitted boundary activity, describe the infringements to the District Plan or reasons for consent sought.
Example 1 - Land use consent application
12.5m² bedroom addition to existing residential unit in the Low-Density Residential Zone infringing the permitted activity standard for impervious areas by 5%.
Example 2 - Subdivision consent application
Subdivision in the Rural Production Zone to create three allotments with minimum lot sizes of more than 20ha.
Example 3 - Application for deemed permitted boundary activity
Construction on a new garage in the Rural Production Zone, infringing the 8 metre setback by 2 metres as it applies to the western boundary of the property.
National Environmental Standard for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil to Protect Human Health
Please indicate where a resource consent is required in accordance with the Resource Management (National Environmental Standard for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil to Protect Human Health) Regulations 2011.
National Environmental Standards
Physical address
Please provide enough detail to allow the site to be easily identified.
Legal description
This is usually the Lot and Deposited Plan (DP) number of the land. It may also be described as an Allotment, Parish or Māori land block.
This information is found on the record of title for your property.
Zone
This is the zone shown on the District Plan planning maps (e.g. General Residential, Rural Production, Light Industrial).
Where there is more than one version of the District Plan it may be necessary to reference the zone under each version of the District Plan.
What is my property zone
Māori land
Where the land is Māori land as defined in section 4 of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993, you may need to make an application to the Māori Land Court to enable you to build on your whenua.
Papakāinga
This section only needs to be completed where the owner or occupier is different to the applicant identified in Section 1 and / or the property is occupied by a tenant.
An 'owner' is defined under the Resource Management Act 1991 (the Act) as including:
- the owner of the fee simple of the land; and
- any person who has agreed in writing, whether conditionally or unconditionally, to purchase the land or any leasehold estate or interest in the land, or to take a lease of land while the agreement remains in force.
The Act defines a 'person' as including the crown, a corporation sole, and a body of persons, whether corporate or unincorporated. This would include a Family Trust for example.
If you have entered into a sale and purchase agreement to sell your property, please advise us in your application.
You are required to detail any other activities that form part of your proposal and give reasoning as to why they are permitted activities.
For example, where earthworks or the formation of a car parking area is a permitted part of a proposal to build a residential unit that needs a land use consent for a height infringement.
Where this detail is provided in your Assessment of Environmental Effects, you may reference this in completing this section.
Alternatively, use this section to describe any other activities, with an explanation as to why they are permitted.
Example 1
The formation of a suitable building platform for the proposed house requires no more than 500 cubic metres of earthworks.
Example 2
Two hardstand car parking spaces are to be formed in accordance with District Plan standards for access and formation as demonstrated on the attached plan.
Connection to Council infrastructure
Where the activity requires a connection to Council infrastructure an approval for this connection will be required from our Infrastructure Team.
Connect to Council infrastructure
Connection to infrastructure through reserve land
An easement may be required for connections to infrastructure through reserve land. Any easement through reserve land requires a separate approval from our Infrastructure Team.
Apply for an easement through reserve land
You must identify where other resource consents are required for your proposal, and whether they have been applied for separately. This includes resource consents required under a Regional Plan and / or a National Environmental Standard administered by the Northland Regional Council.
Regional Plan (nrc.govt.nz)
National Environmental Standards
For example, where earthworks permit and/ or a consent under the Resource Management (National Environmental Standards for Freshwater) Regulations 2020 is required from the Northland Regional Council, in addition to your subdivision consent from us.
In some cases, these consents may need to be applied for at the same time, or as a joint application made to the us and the Northland Regional Council.
Building Consent or Project Information Memorandum
It is important that we understand if an application has been made to us for a Building Consent or Project Information Memorandum (PIM).
Where approval of a resource consent is required to enable the commencement of approved building work, completion of this section will alert us to this fact.
Pre-application meeting
Where you have attended a pre-application meeting, it is important that our attention is drawn to this fact so that we can review any minutes from that meeting in processing your application.
You may also wish to include a copy of the meeting minutes in your application and / or discuss in your Assessment of Environmental Effects how any matters discussed in that meeting have been addressed.
Public notification
You may request public notification at the time of submitting your application.
Where this is not requested, we will determine whether public notification is required in accordance with the tests of Section 95 of the Resource Management Act 1991.
Attachments
Every application for consent must contain sufficient information to enable us (and potentially the public) to understand the nature of the proposal and its adverse effects. Not all information listed here is required for all types of applications.
The specific information required to accompany the type of application you are making is set out in the application form.
We recommend you engage a professional (planner) to prepare your application, as the requirements are technical. Engaging a professional may assist to reduce confusion, delay and cost associated with processing your application.
Planning consultants directory (planning.org.nz)
This is a key component of your application that needs to identify the actual and potential adverse effects of the activity.
This assessment is made in the context of the infringements to the District Plan and in accordance with the requirements of clause 6 and 7 of schedule 4 to the Resource Management Act 1991.
The level of detail to be provided in the assessment should correspond with the scale and significance of the effects that the activity may have on the environment.
For example, a house addition with an infringement to impervious areas may only need to consider effects associated with increased stormwater run-off.
Whereas a three-lot rural subdivision not meeting the minimum lot size, would require a more comprehensive assessment of effects considering matters such as:
- visual amenity
- landscape values
- traffic safety
- ecological values
- cultural values and
- risks of natural hazards.
Depending on the complexity of the application and / or the nature of identified actual and potential effects, there may be a need for specialist reporting to inform this assessment.
The types of specialist reports that may be required are detailed on this page.
Specialist reports
This assessment may be provided as part of your Assessment of Environmental Effects.
You are required to provide an assessment of the matters set out in Part 2 of the Resource Management Act 1991.
The relevance of these matters to your application will depend on the reasons why a consent is sought.
This assessment may be provided as part of your Assessment of Environmental Effects.
You are required to provide an assessment of the provisions of any National Environmental Standards and Policy Statements, Regional Policy Statements and Plans and the District Plan.
The assessment must include assessment against:
- relevant objectives, policies, or rules in a document; and
- relevant requirements, conditions, or permissions in any rules in a document; and
- any other relevant requirements in a document (for example, in a national environmental standard).
The relevance of matters to your assessment will depend on the reasons why a consent is required.
The record of title provided with your application should be a search copy dated within the last three months.
Copies of any interests shown on the title that may be relevant to the application will also need to be provided. For example, an easement, consent notice or covenant.
Copies of the record of title and relevant interests can be obtained from your lawyer, surveyor, or directly from Land Information NZ.
Land Information NZ (linz.govt.nz)
This must define:
- the position of all new boundaries; and
- the areas of all new allotments; and
- the locations and areas of new reserves to be created; and
- the locations and areas of any existing esplanade reserves, esplanade strips, and access strips; and
- the locations and areas of any parts of the bed of a river or lake to be vested in the territorial authority under section 237A of the Resource Management Act 1991; and
- the locations and areas of any land within the coastal marine area (which is to become part of the common marine and coastal area under section 237A of the Resource Management Act 1991); and
- the locations and areas of land to be set aside as new roads.
Plans must accurately show the size, location, and nature of the proposal. They should include a level of detail that aligns with the complexity of the consent sought. It should be clear from the plans the extent and location of all infringements to the District Plan rules.
The plans must be at a recognised scale (e.g. 1:100, 1:200), be true to scale, and key dimensions shown.
Plans should be dated, numbered, and referenced.
Depending on the complexity of the application and / or the nature of identified actual and potential effects, there may be a need for specialist reporting to accompany the application.
Some of the specialist reports that may be required are described below:
Engineering
For subdivision a 'Site Suitability report' is required to accompany your application.
It needs to demonstrate the suitability of land to accommodate a future house, and will consider matters such as natural hazards, wastewater and stormwater disposal, water and power supply.
Other more detailed engineering reports may also be required. For example where an application site is subject to flooding or coastal inundation.
Traffic Impact Assessment or Integrated Transport Assessment
Where an application involves an increase to the gross floor area of an activity, an increase in traffic movements, changes to access arrangements, or the provision of substantial amounts of car parking, a Traffic Impact Assessment or Integrated Transport Assessment may be required to inform the assessment of effects.
Ecological report
If the proposal involves bush protection, environmental benefit subdivision, a management plan approach, notable or outstanding landscape areas, an ecological report may be required to inform the assessment of effects.
Landscape and Visual Assessment
If the proposal involves potential effects on landscape values, particularly in the coastal area or rural zones, or when planting is offered as mitigation, a landscape and visual assessment and / or landscape plan may be required.
Cultural Impact / Values Assessment
Where a proposal has the potential to impact on a site or area of significance to Maori, a Cultural Impact / Values Assessment may be required to inform the assessment of effects.
You may need to consult with iwi / hapū to determine the presence, extent, and nature of any cultural values and / or whether these values would be impacted by the proposed activity.
Archaeological or Heritage report
Where a proposal may impact on listed heritage items, archaeological sites or stonewalls an Archaeological or Heritage Report may be required to inform the assessment of effects.
Contaminated land
Potentially Contaminated Site report
Where an application involves subdivision, land disturbance or a change in use of a piece of land, a Potentially Contaminated Site report can be sought from us to inform whether a consent under the National Environmental Standard for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil is required.
National Environmental Standards
This report will indicate whether the site is identified as including a piece of land that is the former or current location of an activity listed in the Hazardous Activities and Industries List.
Apply for a potentially contaminated site search(PDF, 737KB)
Preliminary or detailed site investigation
These reports may be required where the site is identified as including a piece of land that is the former or current location of an activity listed in the Hazardous Activities and Industries List.
The applicant identified in Section 1 will need to sign the application form, or where an agent has been appointed, they can sign on behalf of the applicant. Only one signature is required.
Where the applicant is a limited company or a limited liability company, by signing as an individual you are agreeing to be bound as principal debtor, and therefore guarantee payment of any associated processing costs.
Where the applicant is a family trust or other legal entity, this form will need to be signed by somebody who carries that authority from the trust or body. You will need to submit a letter of confirmation from the trust or body solicitor in this regard.
Please indicate who you wish all correspondence to be sent to during the processing of the application. We will only send correspondence to one party.