Guidance notes and technical advice - guidance for resource consent applicants and resource management practitioners

Resource consents

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Guidance notes

Applying for or holding a resource consent can be complicated, especially if your activity involves detailed rules and regulations. To support you, we’re regularly creating technical advice and guidance notes that explain what’s required.

Technical advice notes explain how we interpret laws and regulations.
Guidance notes offer practical tips and suggestions for your application or consent holder responsibilities.

Please note: These notes do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. Please seek specific legal advice if you have legal questions or issues. We do our best to keep this information accurate and up to date.

We also strongly recommend you talk with us first before you start your resource consent application.

Guidance notes

Find out more about changes to the consent process that apply under the Resource Management Act 1991 in relation to amendments made 20 August 2025.

These include important changes regarding requests for further information, consideration of compliance history in decision-making and for reviews,and the provision of draft conditions.The Amendment Act also introduces provisions facilitating consenting of new infrastructure, including for renewable energy, and an ability to decline some land use consents due to significant natural hazard risks.
- Guidance on consenting implications of the Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Act 2025
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In August 2023, the Government enacted its Natural and Built Environment Act 2023 (NBA) which introduced new compliance and enforcement powers to help protect and manage the environment and its resources.

The key compliance and enforcement changes in the NBA that now apply under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA):
- An increase to financial penalties for offending against the RMA.
  - For individuals, the maximum fine available increased from $300,000 to $1 million.
  - For companies, the maximum fine available increased from $600,000 to $10 million.
- An increase to the statute of limitations
  The limitation period for criminal offences increased from 12 months to 2 years. This means, as a regulator, the council has longer to take action against non-compliance.
  
  The limitation period for civil enforcement action is 6 years.
- Period of imprisonment reduced
  The maximum jail sentence that can be imposed against individuals reduced from 2 years to 18 months. This removes the right for individuals to elect trial by jury, if prosecuted.
- Financial assurance may be required up front
  Resource users may be required to provide financial assurance as a condition of a resource consent or when a particular activity is being undertaken e.g. as a bond or proof of insurance to cover the cost of remediation or clean-up arising from an activity.
- A history of non-compliance can be taken into account
  Applications for resource consents can be declined on the grounds of a poor compliance history and consents may be suspended or revoked in response to non-compliance with consent requirements.
- Recovery of costs associated with permitted activity monitoring
  Council may recover costs associated with permitted activity monitoring, investigations of non-compliance and prosecutions.
Other changes in the NBA included an increase to ancillary penalties associated with failing to give information to an enforcement officer and when there is what is considered to be a continuing offence.

Read more about these changes and powers from the Ministry for the Environment.