Making Good Decisions Programme – certification for RMA decision makers

Commissioners must be accredited to sit on RMA hearings panels. This page outlines the accreditation process which is provided by the Making Good Decisions Programme.

There are 1138 accredited commissioners.

It is the role of consent authorities to appoint decision-makers to RMA hearing panels.

Under section 39B the RMA, appointees on hearing panels must have accreditation to make decisions on:

• applications for resource consent
• notice of requirements given under section 168 or 189
• requests under clause 21(1) of Schedule 1 for a change to be made to a plan
• reviews of resource consents
• applications to change or cancel resource consent conditions
• proposed policy statements and plans that have been notified
• any hearing of an objection under section 357C of the RMA.

The requirement is for all members of RMA hearing panels given authority by a local authority under sections 33, 34, or 34A to be accredited, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

• Making good decisions programme [WSP website].

The certification process is run by WSP Environmental Training. 

To contact WSP:

Phone 0800 678 738 or visit the WSP website

Since the inception of MGD, recertification with ongoing professional development and training has been a core component in the development and operation of the MGD programme. Changes to legislation, case law and practice can have a significant impact on the way decisions are made and the role of decision makers.

Certificates are issued with an expiry date to ensure decision-makers have their knowledge and skills re-evaluated regularly (three years from initial certification and every five years after).

Some commissioners’ certifications were due to expire in June 2020. As a result of the Government’s measures to contain the COVID-19 virus, WSP could not provide face-to-face re-certification training for commissioners for a period of time. In recognition of this, an amendment has been made to the Gazette notice which sets out re-certification training requirements for accreditation. This amendment extends the certification of commissioners whose accreditation expires on 30 June 2020 by six months.