Who to talk to about your consent applicationMe kōrero ki a wai e pā ana ki taku tono whakaaetanga?

We encourage you to speak to us about your proposal, and we can provide advice as to whether consent is required and direct you where to find information and professional expertise. If necessary, consent advisors can help arrange a pre-application meeting with a planner.

The first hour of our pre-application service is free. Please note tasks such as preparing or reviewing relevant information, preliminary meetings, emails, or phone calls, as well as administrative tasks will be included in this time. After the first hour of work, we will charge for this service. 

For simple projects, pre-application advice may include a phone call or email, or for more complex proposals a review of supporting or technical reports.

If your application is currently being processed you can either contact the Consents Team or contact the processing planner directly.  

06 835 9200 
consentadvisor@hbrc.govt.nz

Our consent advisor service is available between 9am - 12 noon Monday to Friday. If you call outside of these hours, a message will be taken and we'll get back to you within two working days.

We recommend consulting with tangata whenua prior to lodging an application for resource consent with us (note the term tangata whenua is used here referring to any iwi, hapū, whanaū or other group who holds mana whenua over an area).

The Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) recognises the relationship tangata whenua have with their ancestral lands, water, sites of significance, wāhi tapu (sacred sites), and other taonga (treasures).The resource consent process provides a mechanism for the protection of these cultural values. It means that anyone wanting to carry out an activity that may have an effect on these values needs to consult tangata whenua about their proposed activity and address the potential effects within their resource consent application. An applicant may need to consider options to avoid, remedy or mitigate any potential effects on cultural values that are identified during the consultation process.

Assessing cultural effects can be a daunting task for both those applying for consent and the tangata whenua that may be affected. It can be especially challenging for people that are not familiar with the RMA or that are inexperienced at articulating or assessing cultural relationships with an area or a natural resource. Please remain respectful of this throughout the process.

To assist you in identifying who to talk to, we have the Pātaka Mapping Tool, which brings local and regional information about tangata whenua across Hawke’s Bay including:

• location and contact information for each local marae
• areas covered by statutory acknowledgements under Claims Settlement Acts and contact information for Post Settlement Entities (Trusts)
• areas covered by Customary Marine Title under the MACA Act and contact details 
• areas covered by Iwi/Hapū Management Plans.

Find more information on our page: Tangata Whenua

Note: We aim to keep the Pātaka information updated. If you require further assistance please contact the Consents Team.

Statutory acknowledgements

Statutory acknowledgements recognise the cultural, spiritual, historical and traditional association of iwi and hapū with particular areas (statutory areas). They are formally acknowledged by the Crown and form part of the Treaty Claims Settlement Legislation. 

Statutory areas cover land, geographic features, lakes, rivers, wetlands and coastal areas that are located on Crown land.  However, activities carried out on private properties can have effects on statutory areas beyond the property boundary.  

 If your application is within, adjacent or directly affecting a statutory area, the Regional Council must provide a summary to the relevant Post Settlement Governance Entity. You may prefer to contact the relevant Trust and seek the views of the trustees before lodging your applicant.

Further information can be found in Schedule 1A of the Regional Resource Management Plan: Statutory Acknowledgements.

Structures in lakes

Under Treaty Claim Settlement Acts, notification and written approval to the relevant Post Settlement Entity is required before any construction or modification of a structure can be permitted in the following lakes:

• Neighbours/land owners: For activities that may affect other people’s ability to access natural resources or affect their enjoyment of the natural environment e.g. drilling a bore, discharges to land, air or water.

• City/District Councils: For resource consents required under District Plans, or for building consents and other permissions.

• Department of Conservation: For activities that may affect native flora and fauna and/or create barriers to fish migration, e.g. culverts in streams, discharges to land and water, and riparian vegetation clearance.

• Fish & Game: For activities that will degrade or remove areas of habitat and/or create significant barriers to migration of sport fish in popular fishing rivers.

• Heritage New Zealand (Pouhere Taonga): For activities that could disturb any archaeological site or waahi tapu being uncovered.

• Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand and Te Aka Whai Ora – Māori Health Authority: For activities that could adversely affect public health.

• Tangata Whenua, Marae and Post Settlement Governance Entities (PSGEs):  For activities affecting the cultural, social, and/or economic well-being of tangata whenua.

Resource consents are required for some activities in coastal and coastal marine areas. 

Consents in coastal and marine areas require consultation with any relevant Customary Marine Title applicant group prior to lodging your application in accordance with section 62A of the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011. The views from the Customary Marine Title are relevant to help us understand the environmental effects of your proposed activity.

Before lodging your application:

• You must notify the Customary Marine Title and seek the views of the applicant group regarding your proposed activity 
• When lodging your resource application you must include a summary of the views of the Customary Marine Title and any outcomes resulting from consultation.

Note: Applications that have been made through direct engagement with the Crown can be found on the Ministry of Justice website.

More information can be found on Te Arawhiti - The Office for Māori Crown Relations webpage: 

Te Kāhui Takutai Moana (Marine and Coastal Area)