Lecture 3

Question 1

Resource Management Act purpose

Answer 1

avoid, remedy, or mitigate adverse environmental effects.

Promotes public participation in decision making regarding the environment.

Question 2

Sustainable Management

Answer 2

managing use, development, and protection of natural and physical resources in a way, or at a rate, which enables people and communities to provide for their social, economic, and cultural well-being and for their health and safety while sustaining, safeguarding life-supporting capacity or air, water, soil etc, and main purpose.

Question 3

What is a resource consent?

Answer 3

Consent is required to undertake activities that are likely to have a marked impact on the environment - conditions can be given (monitoring and reporting to determine the effect on the environment)

Question 4

Types of Resource Consents

Answer 4

Land-Based Activities
Water-based Activities
Discharge Activities
Coastal Activities

Question 5

Land-Based Activities

Answer 5

Different land uses can affect water quality, land stability, and cause flooding

Question 6

Water-based Activities

Answer 6

Damming, diverting and taking water can affect people’s ability to use water, as well as stream ecosystems

Question 7

Discharge Activities

Answer 7

Discharge consents cover activities that discharge contaminants into water or onto land to air.

Question 8

Coastal Activities

Answer 8

A coastal environment that involves removing vegetation, remove or introduce a plant species, take or use water, discharge potentially contaminated water, discharge treated or untreated wastes, dam or divert water, remove or deposit sand, shell, shingle or other natural materials

Question 9

Resource Consent Process

Answer 9

1) Approval from affected parties
2) Complete required paperwork eg AEE
3) Notification (public, limited, non-notified) dependence on the scale of effects

Question 10

Notification Types + Process

Answer 10

Public = Submissions - Hearing - Decision
Limited = Affected parties' approval
Non-Notified = Hearing (if needed) - Decision

Question 11

Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE)

Answer 11

Compulsory for resource consents

Effects - positive/negative or short-term/long-term

Question 12

Compliance Monitoring

Answer 12

• Council reviews data provided by the consent holder against limits specified in the consent
• Site visits to check systems, procedures and any works required under the consent
• Councils can ask for independent samples or random information requests for data

Question 13

Enforcement

Answer 13

RMA requires it - Duty
Warning letter
Abatement Notice
Infringement Fine
Enforcement Order
Prosecution

Question 14

Prosecution

Answer 14

Legal proof for prosecution is “beyond reasonable doubt
Need to document sampling procedure, lab test procedure, keep good field note
Errors in the data come from sampling, laboratory mistakes, transcription & reporting errors, poor interpretation