Proposed Review of Best Practice Guidelines for Hearing Processes
If you are interested in helping with a review of the Hearing Guidelines to take account of the RMA changes to processing of resource consent applications that will take effect from Monday 3 March.
This is an initiative of the Consent Managers Group (CMG) whose membership includes all Regional and Unitary Councils including Auckland Council.
We seek to work with you with the aim of producing a revised practice guide for resource consent hearings that can be adopted by the sector as the source of correct, best or good practice for all Consent authorities and the Commissioners they appoint.
Further details are set out in the attached paper. The Guide is attached here. Some of the content may prompt debate or be challenged and we welcome that.
Please let me know in the first instance if you are interested in participating in this process. At this stage I envisage that we will receive comments and suggestions by the end of March, collate those for consideration, and draft up a new Practice Guide document for circulation and further feedback before the CMG meeting scheduled for early May.
Please forward this invitation to any other RMA Commissioners you think will be interested in contributing. Please also discuss this with your local Consent Authority contacts if you have an opportunity to do so – there is no similar coordinating group for the City and District Councils with regard to RMA consent matters, but we will be trying to get their input as well.
You may also have received notice of a workshop related to this topic to be held on 14 April prior to the NZPI conference in Auckland. That is a separate initiative and will have a wider programme including the Board of Inquiry process, but it may be another opportunity to debate some of the items raised for review by CMG.
Regards
Phil Doole
Convenor – Consent Managers Group
Resource Consents Manager
Tasman District Council
DDI 03 543 8487