Natural Hazards [Whangarei District Council] Other Publication
- Author
- Whangarei District Council
- Publisher / Organisation
- Whangarei District Council
- Summary
- As planning documents become operative, territorial authorities are increasingly turning to the task of monitoring their activities in regard to environmental regulation and resource management. Monitoring of planning procedures and planning documents (once in place) is the logical progression in the comprehensive management system initiated by the Resource Management Act 1991 (henceforth, the RMA or the Act). Planning procedures need to be monitored as part of the overall planning and resource management framework to ensure the on-going effectiveness of the process as a whole. Council has developed a strategy to address their monitoring duties in regard to resource management and environmental planning. The intent is to combine the various types of monitoring into an integrated, useful, cost-effective and manageable system of environmental monitoring and reporting. The system, when implemented, will enable Council to determine whether the resource management objectives for the District are being met, and whether planning procedures need to be altered to better accomplish those objectives. According to relevant legislation, local authorities are faced with specific statutory requirements in regard to monitoring duties. These requirements, under the resource management legislation, relate to four main aspects of monitoring. These are: 1 Resource consents monitoring 2 Complaints monitoring 3 Monitoring the suitability and effectiveness of planning documents 4 State of the environment monitoring. Such monitoring is mandatory, as is the requirement to gather information and have it available for public scrutiny. Council does not have discretion in this regard. It is required by law to carry out these tasks. The monitoring duties identified above as obligatory are linked to Council's duties under Section 32. Section 32 of the RMA imposes a duty on territorial authorities to assess the suitability of planning procedures adopted in planning documents and to consider alternatives. Information provided by monitoring should assist Section 32 duties, particularly when reviewing the District Plan or undertaking plan changes.