What you’ll do at the hearing

If the proposal is going through a freshwater planning process or streamlined planning process, the hearing panel may allow other parties or their representatives (such as lawyers) to question you or your expert witnesses. Equally, the hearing panel may give you the opportunity to question other parties. This is referred to as cross-examination. Cross‑examination is not allowed in resource consent hearings.

After everyone has had a chance to speak, the panel makes its decision. This is usually done in private and released sometime after the hearing.

It will be useful to prepare a statement to read at the hearing. The hearing panel will have already read your submission. This is your opportunity to expand on the points in your submission, or to explain the evidence you’ve provided. It’s a way to ‘warm up’ before the panel asks you questions. If you want, someone else can read out your statement for you.

You need to consider how to present any evidence you have gathered and pre-circulated.

Your statement might include examples of the points in your submission, or you could comment on the recommendations in the council officer’s report or on points raised in other submissions.

You can also just read straight from your submission if you wish. If so, the hearing panel may tell you they take your submission as read, and ask you directly about the matters you’ve raised.

If you choose to prepare a statement, plan it carefully, and practise reading it. The hearing is your chance to talk about the issues in your submission.

Any information you provide during the hearing will also be on the public record. Hearings may be recorded or audio-visual technology used, in which the council will make it clear to the persons appearing at the hearings. We have published a guide to support councils to run effective virtual hearings.

See a Practical guide to virtual hearings under the RMA on our website.

A council officer is usually at the hearing to present the council’s report. Other council officers, such as urban designers or traffic engineers, might be there to give technical advice.

There may be another person to help the panel with administration of the hearing (usually a council officer).

Sometimes the council or hearing panel might have appointed a person to help submitters through the process – known as a ‘friend of the submitter’. This person is neutral in terms of the proposal itself, and is not there to influence or support the content of your submission. However, they are there to help you participate in the process and understand what is going on.

For a resource consent or a private plan change, the applicant will attend. They may have an advocate or a lawyer, and other experts.

Other submitters will probably attend. They may have an advocate, a lawyer or an expert witness.

A hearing is usually open to all, so there may be other members of the public and media representatives. Unless people have made a submission and have asked to be heard, they will not be invited to speak.