Making a submission about a proposed plan or resource consent

The Resource Management Act 1991 (usually called the RMA) is the main piece of legislation that sets out how we should manage our environment. It’s based on the idea of the sustainable management of our resources, and it encourages us (as communities and as individuals) to plan for the future of our environment.

The RMA means that councils set rules and requirements to manage activities ranging from building houses, clearing vegetation, moving earth, or taking water from a stream. The purpose is to ensure activities won’t harm our neighbours or communities, or damage the air, water, soil and ecosystems that we and future generations need to survive.

The RMA requires councils to manage natural and physical resources in their area. They do this by making and amending regional policy statements and plans (district or regional plans), making decisions on resource consent applications, and undertaking monitoring and enforcement.

The RMA provides several ways for you to get involved in council processes and influence decisions that affect the environment. Making a submission on a proposal is an effective way to get involved with council decisions under the RMA.

Members of the public can make a submission about a:

• proposed regional policy statement, plan, plan change, or variation to a proposed plan
• notified application for a resource consent
• notified notice of requirement for a designation (informing the community of a proposal to use land for a project (eg, a road).

This guide is the ninth in a series of 13 guides called An Everyday Guide to the RMA (see more details about the series below).

This guide is for submitters – people who want to make a submission to the decision-maker as part of an RMA planning process, or on a specific notified resource consent or notice of requirement.

This guide tells you about:

• the submission process for RMA planning proposals
• the submission process for resource consent/notices of requirement proposals
• tips for how to make an effective submission
• how to make a further submission if you are eligible (in a RMA planning proposals)
• what happens after the council receives your submission.

The guide has a glossary of RMA terms at the end.

These guides are intended to help people work with their councils. If you’re dealing with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), a board of inquiry, or the Environment Court (see the glossary to learn more about these), you might need more technical advice from the EPA website or the Environment Court website.

For more information about specific parts of the RMA process, see the full list of guides on our website.