Latest news with #CatchmentBoard
Scoop
2 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Tasman Resource Management Plan Is Now Online
After 27 years in paper form, Resource Management Plan (TRMP) is now online. Whether at home, in the office, or out in the field, you can now access the plan anytime from anywhere. The move to publish the TRMP online is timely recognition of the plan's successful evolution and its mission to respond to environmental challenges and legislative mandates. Because Tasman is a unitary authority, the TRMP effectively replaces what would elsewhere be multiple separate plans—a district plan and a suite of regional plans—providing a unified framework for resource management and land use planning in the district. Transformation Integration of the district and regional plans was a key outcome from the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) which combined and updated the existing County and District Schemes (land use and subdivision), the Regional Coastal Plan (coastal marine area management) and Catchment Board plans into a single integrated document to streamline resource management. The unified planning framework that emerged from the 1991 RMA reforms has provided the foundation for managing one of New Zealand's most dynamic regional economies, where strategic resource management directly enables sustainable development. Since its establishment post-1991 RMA enactment the TRMP has matured into a sophisticated and integrated planning instrument that uniquely combines district and regional governance functions. Work is now underway that will replace the RMA with two new acts focused on property rights, development, and environmental protection, with legislation expected before the 2026 election. Beyond the election the TRMP is likely to remain as the operative planning document for the district for several years, during which a new national system will be developed and implemented. TRMP Integrated Planning Framework This infographic illustrates how Tasman's unitary authority status enables a more comprehensive approach to resource management than typical territorial authorities. Unlike separate district and regional plans, the TRMP consolidates these functions into a single integrated framework. Aspect District Planning (Typical Functions) Tasman Resource Management Plan (TRMP) Governing Body City or District Council (territorial authority) Tasman District Council (unitary authority) Scope Land use, subdivision, local infrastructure, bylaws Integrated district and regional resource management Coverage Local land use and development Local land use and development, Land, water, air, soil, coastal marine area Plan Documents District Plan Single combined plan (TRMP) Regulatory Focus Zoning, building consents, local services Sustainable management of natural and physical resources Integration Separate from regional council plans Combines district and regional functions Examples of Functions Urban growth, local roads, parks, community facilities Urban growth, local roads, parks, community facilities, Water quality, air quality, coastal management, hazards Economic Development The TRMP is Tasman's roadmap for managing our unique environment and enabler of sustainable economic growth. Tasman has a GDP of $3.06 billion and, according to recent census data, was one of the fastest growing regions in New Zealand, with a population and dwelling growth of 10.3% and 11% respectively between 2018 and 2023. Richmond, as an example of our growth dynamics, has a population projected to increase from about 17,400 in 2024 to 23,270 by 2054. This growth reflects a strong recent annual rate of around 3.3%, making Richmond the fastest-growing urban area in the region. Housing demand is expected to require 1,152 new dwellings between 2024 and 2034, and an additional 2,156 dwellings from 2034 to 2054. Our regional economic strategy, including the Nelson Tasman Future Development Strategy, which the TRMP supports through land use and infrastructure planning, aims to accommodate significant housing growth and infrastructure investment to sustain this economic expansion. The TRMP is a strategic approach to sustainable resource management, systematically addressing the district's complex environmental challenges through regular updates that encompass urban development pressures, natural hazard mitigation, freshwater ecosystem protection. Current updates will include further freshwater protections, landscape conservation, and coastal zone management. Effective Regional Coordination Regional councils play a vital role in managing environmental resources, natural hazards, and infrastructure that support community wellbeing and economic growth. The coordination that unitary councils provide for land and water management, hazard mitigation, and infrastructure resilience results in streamlined and coherent management of land use, water, coastal areas, and environmental protection. All of which supports community wellbeing and economic growth. The TRMP story fits squarely within this work and proves how regional-scale planning and policy development enable coordinated growth, hazard resilience, and resource protection, aligning local actions with national infrastructure priorities.
Scoop
07-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Disgruntled Goldminers Offered Consents Workshop
Gold miners and their agents will be invited to a workshop to help them with applications for resource consents, the West Coast Regional Council has decided. The use of North Island consultants to process West Coast water-use consents for alluvial gold mine sites came under attack at Tuesday's meeting of the council's Resource Management Committee. Councillor Allan Birchfield, a goldminer himself, said applications were being held up or declined by consultants in Wellington who were delaying and over-complicating the consent process. 'They don't know the area … they're coming back with stupid questions, like the size of the water pumps – it needs to be brought back in house, it's out of control,' Councillor Birchfield said. Alluvial goldmining had been going on for 40 years on the West Coast, and the effects were well known, he said. 'You are wanting to reinvent the wheel. You should have a very standard application and conditions ... a very simple form.' The council's regulatory manager Jo Field said the council was using consultants to process consents for several reasons, including the need to up-skill new staff and applicants on what was expected of them. One staff member had been away overseas, and it was standard practice for councils to use consultants at peak times, to process consents, she said. The council has made a conscious decision to defer or decline consents with incomplete information upfront, she said. "We are trying to become a modern regulatory organisation and … this is part of that, being really clear upfront about what information is required.' The council had been in the process of updating its forms, in consultation with Poutini Ngai Tahu, Ms Field said. 'We actually invited a number of consultants to come and hear about our new approach and forms and they chose not to attend.' (The consultants Ms Field was referring to in this case are agents who submit resource consent applications on behalf of miners.) Mr Birchfield said when he had begun with the council one experienced person had dealt with all the consent and compliance issues. 'It was so simple then. I think we've gone backwards – we've got all these people making it too complicated, it's got to go back to that – simple and effective.' But Cr Chris Coll said the old Catchment Board days were prior to the Resource Management Act. The council had an open invitation on its website for applicants to come in and talk to staff about resource consent requirements before applying, he said. 'I think it behoves the miners …and their agents to move with the times and try and upskill themselves too.' A worskshop to bring all parties together would be helpful, Cr Coll said. Ngati Waewae representative Francois Tumahai said a good starting place would be to agree on a joint set of conditions for alluvial gold mining. 'Allan's made some good points, but also I agree we've come a long way since those days and we actually have to change the way we think and operate. But I'm sure we can keep to a middle ground by making it more stream-lined.' WCRC chief executive Darryl Lew agreed. 'We need to find a collaborative way through here, and we can do that. There are three parties, the council, there's Poutini Ngai Tahu and there's the miners and we need to get into a workshop like we did the other week which was highly successful.' Consultants acting for the miners, who had declined to come to a previous workshop were also part of that picture, Mr Lew said.
