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We generally cost recover for processing your resource consent application on a "user-pays" basis. How much will vary depending on the type of consent, how simple it is, how well your application and assessment has been done, how long the consent takes to assess and any additional costs we incur. When you lodge your consent application you must also include the required deposit fee.
Talking with us before you finalise your proposal and prepare your application can save delays and costs during its processing.
Once you have got your resource consent, some types of resource consents do have annual fees that you must pay over the lifetime of the resource consent.
You may also need to pay development contributions for subdivision and some types of development, such as an extra dwelling. These are not RMA charges, as they rely on the Local Government Act 2002 and our obligation to our community to get a fair proportion of the cost for new infrastructure services needed to meet the demand from the new development.
More information on development contributions, when you must pay, and at what stage of your project.
General Rules Applying in Respect of Resource Management Fees and Charges |
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Resource Management |
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Charges for processing resource consents and undertaking related activities have been set in accordance with section 36 and section 36AAA of the RMA and section 150 of the LGA There are three ways the fees are structured: Fixed Fee - A fixed charge payable prior to processing of a resource consent. The fixed fee charge is the full and final cost of processing of the consent application. At Cost - At cost processing involves the charging of the actual and reasonable cost of works. Deposit - A deposit is paid prior to processing commences. In accordance with section 36(5) of the RMA, the applicant is required to pay an additional charge to cover the actual and reasonable cost of items such as printing, advertising, postage, additional reports and commissioners that may be required in the processing of their application. An additional charge has been set for hard copy applications as the Council’s preference is electronic lodgement. This charge covers one hour of administration to print, scan and save. Where the formula or standard fee is inadequate to enable the Council to recover the actual and reasonable costs that are or will be incurred to carry out an activity, or where the Council considers that additional charges are warranted, they may be imposed under section 36(5) RMA and are subject to rights of objection. If a refund is due, the Council policy is to repay the person who originally supplied the deposit. Unless the Council receives written authority to the contrary, it cannot refund the money owing to someone else. Processing charges or credits of $20.00 or less are deemed uneconomic to process and the Council will not issue invoices or refunds if the total processing costs are within this $20.00 allowable variance. If you feel that your consent specifically has been incorrectly or unfairly charged, you may write in and formally request a review of your charge (email: [email protected]). You need to provide us with a valid reason as to why your charge should be adjusted and we will consider your case. |
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Hourly charge-out rate for Staff – Resource Consents |
Charges from 1 July 2024 |
Business Support |
$130.00 |
Graduate Planner, Consents Officer |
$180.00 |
Consents Planner |
$195.00 |
Senior Planner, Team Leader, Principal Planner |
$210.00 |
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Charges from 1 July 2024 incl. GST |
Deemed Permitted Boundary Activity Notice |
$550.00 |
Marginal or Temporary Consent Exemption Notice (Actual charge will take account of whether Project Information Memorandum fee has been paid) |
At cost |
Non-notified Applications for Resource Consent The following new land use consents:
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$1,450.00 deposit |
Non-notified Applications for Resource Consent
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$790.00 |
Non-notified Applications for Resource Consent
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$1,820.00 deposit |
Non-notified Applications for Resource Consent
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$3,300.00 deposit
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Non-notified Applications for: Change or Cancellation of Consent Condition(s) on existing consents (S.127 RMA); or Change or Cancellation of Consent Notice (S.221(3)(b) RMA) |
$1,450.00 deposit |
Notified and Limited Notification All applications under the RMA requiring notification, including applications requesting change or cancellation of consent conditions or notified S.128 RMA reviews. Additional deposits may be required. |
$6,050.00 |
Non-notified Application Hearing All non-notified applications under the RMA requiring a hearing, including applications requesting change or cancellation of consent conditions or notified S.128 RMA reviews. Additional deposits may be required. |
$6,050.00 |
Request for a change to a Plan (private plan change request). Additional deposits may be required. |
$6,050.00 |
Administration, Monitoring and Supervision The following scale of charges are used to calculate the Council’s actual and reasonable costs when carrying out compliance monitoring under the Resource Management Act 1991. Where the fixed charge is not sufficient to recover the actual and reasonable costs incurred in monitoring compliance with resource consents or national environmental standards, the RMA allows for additional charges to be made under section 36. The Council will also require a person to pay any actual and reasonable costs incurred in, in connection with monitoring permitted activities with this Act. |
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Business Support |
$130.00 |
Senior Compliance & Investigations |
$195.00 |
Principal Compliance & Investigations |
$210.00 |
Disbursements |
At cost |
Resource Consent Monitoring Except where a specific (fixed) charge applies, monitoring compliance with consents will be charged actual and reasonable costs incurred using the charge rate x staff time. This may include:
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At cost |
Permitted Activity Compliance Monitoring The following activities will be charged actual and reasonable costs incurred using the charge rate x staff time.
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At cost |
Certification of construction, earthworks, sediment control or other management plans requiring approval as part of compliance with resource consent conditions |
At cost |
Approval of Survey Plan under S.223 RMA, approval of Engineering Plans, and Completion Certificate under S.224 RMA, including monitoring, inspection and acceptance of as built plans. No deposit is required for any of these activities. Actual Council staff time and actual costs of consultants, including disbursements, will also be charged. |
At cost |
Pre application and duty planning advice up to 30 minutes |
Free |
Pre-application advice after the first 30 minutes of staff time (Deposits may be required or interim charges made prior to application lodgement) |
At cost |
External reports and peer reviews, commissioned by Council
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At cost |
Resource Management - other |
Charges from 1 July 2024 incl. GST
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Dust suppression discharge permit – new or replacement permit. (oil on road) |
$900.00 deposit |
Dust suppression discharge permit – new or replacement permit applications. (polymer on road) |
$500 fixed |
Outline plan consideration (S.176A RMA) |
$992.00 deposit |
Outline Plan Waivers (S.176A(2)(c) RMA) |
$400.00 deposit |
Certificate of Compliance (S.139 RMA) |
$1,190.00 deposit |
Existing Use Certificate (S.139A RMA) |
$1,190.00 deposit |
Extension of consent lapsing period (S.125 RMA) |
$990.00 deposit |
Section 226(1)(e) RMA Certificate (allowing issue of separate title) (equates to two hours) |
$420.00 deposit |
Bond Administration Fee |
$206.00 |
Certificate under Overseas Investment Act 2005 |
$1000.00 deposit |
Certificate of Compliance for Sale of Alcohol |
$180.00 |
Document Execution and Use of Council Seal Documents requiring Council resolution, Certification or Council Seal e.g. S221, 226, 241, 243 RMA, S327A Local Government Act 1974 - Covenants, Easements in Gross and Caveats. |
At cost |
Objections under S.357, 357A and 357B RMA Costs of processing objections including hearings may be charged in accordance with the general rules set out in this Schedule depending on the merits of the objection. Additional deposits may be required. |
$550.00 deposit |
Review of Consent Conditions Request for review from consent holder |
$1,190.00 deposit |
All reviews carried out under Section 128 RMA |
At cost |
Water meter reading fee (following failed water meter returns, 1.5 hour charge out rate) |
$308.00 |
Part transfer of coastal, water or discharge permit (S.135, S.136 and S.137 RMA) with no changes to conditions of consent |
$992.00 deposit |
Water zone allocation waiting list registration |
$396.00 deposit |
Full transfer of Permits (S.135(1)(a), S.136(1), S.136(2)(a), or S.137(2)(a) RMA) |
At cost |
Minor amendment to existing Water or Discharge Permit to recognise change in land description as result of subdivision or similar. |
$280.00 |
Surcharge – receiving hard copy applications
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$130.00 |
Gravel/Shingle Extraction Fees |
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For land owned or controlled by Council (including land administered by the Crown) in and adjacent to all rivers in the district excluding those in the Aorere and Buller catchments:
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$7.50/m3 |
For land owned or controlled by Council (including land administered by the Crown) in and adjacent to rivers in the Aorere and Buller Catchments:
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$6.00/m3 |
For privately held land where the payment of a gravel extraction fee is a condition of a resource consent:
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$4.50/m3 |
Coastal Marine Area |
$4.50/m3 *Plus any Crown royalties due |
Management of gravel extraction on private land outside those areas covered above |
Actual and reasonable monitoring charges at $206.00/hr |
Gravel extraction in river reaches specified by the Group Manager - Information, Science & Technology where extraction is shown to have particular river management or environmental benefit. Proposed reaches will be reported to the Environment and Regulatory Committee prior to being specified. |
$4.50/m3 |
Coastal Structures – Annual Charges |
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Charges from 1 July 2024 incl. GST |
0 – 10 lines |
$649.00 |
Each additional line |
$36.00 |
Other structures (excluding structures that extend landward of Mean High Water Springs [MHWS]) |
$143.00 |
Water Permit Annual Charges |
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For stock water, private domestic use, firefighting, hydroelectric power generation ≤ 2.5 l/s and permits to take water to or from storage. |
$206.00 |
Seepage or embayment at 5 l/s and greater, cooling water, private community water supplies, schools, campgrounds and retirement villages, seawater takes and frost protection (when a separate irrigation consent is held) irrespective of the quantity authorised. |
$376.00 |
For all other permits to take water, the fee is based on the average daily quantity of water authorised as set out below. |
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Less than 250 m³/day |
$415.00 |
250 – 499 m³/day |
$521.00 |
500 – 999 m³/day |
$666.00 |
1,000 – 2,499 m³/day |
$855.00 |
2,500 – 4,999 m³/day |
$1,312.00 |
5,000 – 14,999 m³/day |
$2,104.00 |
15,000 – 49,999 m³/day |
$4,439.00 |
50,000 – 299,999 m³/day |
$13,047.00 |
300,000 m³/day or more |
$35,220.00 |
For Permits to Dam Water |
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Damming for non-water take purposes or where a take from storage or surface take consent is held. |
$103.00 |
Consented damming for water take purposes |
$206.00 |
Discharge Permits (Water or Contaminant) |
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Permits to discharge scour water from dams and pipelines, for water resource augmentation, spillway and compensation flows, minor cooling water discharges, minor spraying operations, flood/drainage discharges, stormwater-related to commercial and industrial activities, minor sediment discharges and composting. |
$206.00 |
Dairy shed and piggery effluent discharges (including laboratory costs) |
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Fish Farming |
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Less than 1,000 m³/day authorised discharge |
$206.00 |
1,000 – 4,999 m³/day |
$376.00 |
5,000 – 14,999 m³/day |
$1,007.00 |
15,000 – 49,999 m³/day |
$2,053.00 |
50,000 – 99,999 m³/day |
$5,147.00 |
100,000 m³/day or more |
$6,753.00 |
Food Processing Industries (including by way of example, abattoirs, fish processing, vegetable processing, dairy factories, wineries) |
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Food processing wastewater to land |
$376.00 |
Semi-treated/screened waste to water |
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Authorised at less than 200 m³/day |
$486.00 |
200 – 999 m³/day |
$1,467.00 |
1,000 m³/day or more |
$2,940.00 |
Fully treated waste to water |
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Authorised at less than 200 m³/day |
$206.00 |
200 – 999 m³/day |
$309.00 |
1,000 m³/day or more |
$596.00 |
Gravel Wash and Mining Discharges |
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Less than 1,000 m³/day authorised |
$376.00 |
1000 – 2,999 m³/day |
$596.00 |
3,000 m³/day or more |
$1,007.00 |
Sawmills, Timber Processing Discharges to land |
$376.00 |
Power Generation Discharges (≥ 2.6 l/s) |
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Less than 1,000 m³/day authorised |
$206.00 |
1,000 – 4,999 m³/day |
$376.00 |
5,000 – 24,999 m³/day |
$723.00 |
25,000 – 299,999 m³/day |
$1,067.00 |
300,000 m³/day or more |
$6,901.00 |
Discharge Permits for Sewage |
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Permits for residential dwellings with an on-site wastewater treatment system. |
$130.00 |
All other sewage including community schemes, more than two residential dwellings and commercial wastewater systems, including visitor and tourist accommodation: |
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Less than 50 m³/day authorised |
$415.00 |
50 – 99 m³/day |
$662.00 |
100 – 999 m³/day |
$770.00 |
1,000 – 9,999 m³/day |
$1,031.00 |
10,000 m³/day or more |
$1,623.00 |
Permits Discharge to Land under Section 15(1)(d) RMA |
$206.00 |
Discharge Permits (Air) Annual Charges |
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Major air discharges (former Pt A [Clean Air Act] activities) |
$3,221.00 |
Minor air discharges (former Pt B [Clean Air Act] activities) |
$546.00 |
Minor air Discharges (former Pt C [Clean Air Act] activities) |
$206.00 |
Rights-Of-Way |
Charges from 1 July 2024 incl. GST |
Application Right-of-Way (S.348 Local Government Act {LGA})
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$1,192.00 deposit |
Resource Management: Administration, Monitoring and Supervision Charges of Resource Consents |
Charges from 1 July 2024 incl. GST |
Gravel/Shingle Extraction Fees |
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For land owned or controlled by Council (including land administered by the Crown) in and adjacent to all rivers in the district excluding those in the Aorere and Buller catchments:
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$7.50/m3 |
For land owned or controlled by Council (including land administered by the Crown) in and adjacent to rivers in the Aorere and Buller Catchments:
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$6.00/m3 |
For privately held land where the payment of a gravel extraction fee is a condition of a resource consent:
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$4.50/m3 |
Coastal Marine Area |
$4.50/m3 Plus any Crown royalties due. |
Gravel extraction in river reaches specified by the Group Manager - Information, Science & Technology where extraction is shown to have particular river management or environmental benefit. |
$4.50/m3 |
Gravel extraction on freehold land outside of the river berm area inundated by an annual flood |
Actual and reasonable monitoring charges at $206.00/hr |
Coastal Structures – Annual Charges Coastal Structures per consent: Aquaculture Activity |
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Charges from 1 July 2024 incl. GST |
0 – 10 lines |
$649.00 |
Each additional line |
$36.00 |
Other structures (excluding structures that extend landward of Mean High Water Springs [MHWS]) |
$143.00 |
Water Permit Annual Charges |
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For stock water, private domestic use and firefighting |
$206.00 |
Permits to take water to or from storage, seepage or embayment at 5 l/s and greater, hydroelectric power generation ≤ 2.5 l/s, cooling water, private community water supplies, schools, campgrounds and retirement villages, seawater takes and frost protection (when a separate irrigation consent is held) irrespective of the quantity authorised. |
$376.00 |
For all other permits to take water, the fee is based on the average daily quantity of water authorised as set out below. |
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Proposed Charges from 1 July 2024 incl. GST |
Less than 250 m³/day |
$415.00 |
250 – 499 m³/day |
$521.00 |
500 – 999 m³/day |
$660.00 |
1,000 – 2,499 m³/day |
$855.00 |
2,500 – 4,999 m³/day |
$1,312.00 |
5,000 – 14,999 m³/day |
$2,104.00 |
15,000 – 49,999 m³/day |
$4,439.00 |
50,000 – 299,999 m³/day |
$13,047.00 |
300,000 m³/day or more |
$13,047.00 |
For Permits to Dam Water |
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Damming for non-water take purposes or where a take from storage or surface take consent is held. |
$103.00 |
Consented damming for water take purposes |
$206.00 |
Discharge Permits (Water or Contaminant) |
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Permits to discharge scour water from dams and pipelines, for water resource augmentation, spillway and compensation flows, minor cooling water discharges, minor spraying operations, flood/drainage discharges, stormwater related to commercial and industrial activities, minor sediment discharges and composting. |
$206.00 |
Dairy shed and piggery effluent discharges (including laboratory costs) |
$499.00 |
Fish Farming |
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Less than 1,000 m³/day authorised discharge |
$206.00 |
1,000 – 4,999 m³/day |
$376.00 |
5,000 – 14,999 m³/day |
$1,007.00 |
15,000 – 49,999 m³/day |
$2,053.00 |
50,000 – 99,999 m³/day |
$5,147.00 |
100,000 m³/day or more |
$6,753.00 |
Food Processing Industries (including by way of example, abattoirs, fish processing, vegetable processing, dairy factories, wineries) |
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Food processing waste water to land |
$376.00 |
Semi-treated/screened waste to water |
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Authorised at less than 200 m³/day |
$486.00 |
200 – 999 m³/day |
$1,467.00 |
1,000 m³/day or more |
$2,940.00 |
Fully treated waste to water |
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Authorised at less than 200 m³/day |
$206.00 |
200 – 999 m³/day |
$309.00 |
1,000 m³/day or more |
$596.00 |
Gravel Wash and Mining Discharges |
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Less than 1,000 m³/day authorised |
$376.00 |
1000 – 2,999 m³/day |
$596.00 |
3,000 m³/day or more |
$1,007.00 |
Sawmills, Timber Processing Discharges to land |
$376.00 |
Power Generation Discharges (≥ 2.6 l/s) |
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Less than 1,000 m³/day authorised |
$206.00 |
1,000 – 4,999 m³/day |
$376.00 |
5,000 – 24,999 m³/day |
$723.00 |
25,000 – 299,999 m³/day |
$1,067.00 |
300,000 m³/day or more |
$6,901.00 |
Discharge Permits for Sewage |
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Permits for residential dwellings with an on-site wastewater treatment system. |
$206.00 |
All other sewage including community schemes, more than two residential dwellings and commercial wastewater systems, including visitor and tourist accommodation: |
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Charges from 1 July 2024 incl. GST |
Less than 50 m³/day authorised |
$415.00 |
50 – 99 m³/day |
$662.00 |
100 – 999 m³/day |
$770.00 |
1,000 – 9,999 m³/day |
$1,031.00 |
10,000 m³/day or more |
$1,623.00 |
Permits Discharge to Land under Section 15(1)(d) RMA |
$206.00 |
Discharge Permits (Air) Annual Charges |
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Major air discharges (former Pt A [Clean Air Act] activities) |
$3,221.00 |
Minor air discharges (former Pt B [Clean Air Act] activities) |
$546.00 |
Minor Air Discharges (former Pt C [Clean Air Act] activities) |
$206.00 |
General Rules Applying in Respect of Resource Management Fees and Charges – |
Charges will include all reasonable staff time associated with processing and assessing applications, excluding staff travel time to and from the site of the application and/or consent holder. Costs associated with consent processing and assessment such as use of consultants and laboratory costs, where these skills cannot be provided by in-house staff, will be recovered at actual costs. This policy also applies to the monitoring of consent conditions where an annual charge is not made or where costs exceed the payable annual charge and Council elects to recover the difference. |
Where multiple resource consents are sought or required for related activities, the standard application lodgement fees (deposits) shall apply for each consent, except that the notification fee shall comprise one full deposit ($5,000) plus 20 percent for each additional consent required provided that the Manager Consents or the Environment and Planning Manager have discretion to determine a lesser total lodgement fee when there are large numbers of separate consents required. |
Council reserves the right to require further deposits, interim payments or advance payments of amounts to be determined by the Resource Consents Manager, Environmental Policy Manager or the Environment & Planning Manager if processing activity is protracted over time or will incur costs over and above the listed deposit or standard fees. Deposits for the cost of hearings will be required when the need for a hearing is confirmed. |
Where all or part of any deposit or charge is not paid, Council reserves the right not to process that application, or not to continue processing that application, in accordance with relevant statutory powers. |
The cost of Councillor hearing panels are set by the Remuneration Authority and will be charged accordingly. Commissioner costs shall be charged at actual costs incurred. Where submitters request that a matter proceed to a hearing before independent Commissioners they shall meet the costs additional to those that would have been incurred if the request had not been made (S.36(1)(ab) and (ad) RMA). |
Reductions and waivers are generally not available. Reductions might be justified where the person liable to pay any charge reduces the costs to Council of carrying out its functions, including through self-regulation checks approved by Council. |
Annual charges shall be due on 1 October or on the 20th of the month following the date of invoicing, whichever is the later, unless otherwise agreed in writing by Council. A standard administration fee of $82.00 will be applied when a consent is deemed by the Council as not currently given effect to and the ability to give effect is not currently present. Excludes permits to take water. |
A 50% rebate applies to the annual charges for consents with consent-specific monitoring programmes where monitoring costs are being recovered separately. Specific arrangements will be made in relation to approved self-regulation inspections. |
Where a consent has expired and the activity is continuing per S.124 RMA while an application for a replacement consent is being processed, the applicant shall continue to be liable to pay any annual and/or monitoring charge. |
Hydroelectric power generation (≥ 2.6 l/s), suction dredging, and land based fish farming annual charges will be based on the discharge and not the take as long as the take and discharge are of equal volume. If there is a consumptive off-take then that take will attract the annual charge as for other consumptive takes. Consents to take will still attract the minimum standard water permit annual charge. |
Annual charges levied on holders of resource consents will be recovered whether permits are exercised or not. |
Where a water take consent is restricted to winter only abstraction a 50% discount will apply. |
A new policy for Development contributions was adopted on 1 July 2024 as part of the Long Term Plan.
Learn when contributions apply and how fees are calculated, and requests for reconsideration in the full policy.
Development and financial contributions policy
Property Information & Development Contributions |
Charges from 1 July 2024 incl. GST
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Land Information Memorandum (LIM) requested under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 |
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Residential |
$350.00 |
Commercial/Industrial |
$550.00 |
Large properties involving more than one certificate of title will be charged at the staff hourly rate. Note: Should a special request be made that results in a field inspection and/or submitter research, Council reserves the right to charge any additional fees that are appropriate, based on the amount of time required to provide the requested information. |
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Property enquiries – access to Council records |
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Files sent via Sharefile or transferred to USB Plus cost of USB if we have to provide |
$55.00/file |
Frequent user discount is available as follows |
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A lump sum payable annually in advance for a company giving access to an unlimited number of files |
$2,500.00 |
Development Contribution hearings and reconsideration |
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Deposit for Development Contributions Objection Hearing |
$1,884.00 |
Application for Reconsideration |
$376.00 |
If you have any questions, please contact us on 03 543 8400.