Applying for Resource Consent

Online Applications

You can apply for your resource consent (Land Use, Subdivision, Permitted Boundary Activities, Fast Track Consents and NES Soils) online through our new electronic resource consent system Consents Online.

Enjoy the benefits of online resource consenting:

  • Convenience - lodging applications at any time of the day.
  • Transparency - online tracking of the consenting process.
  • Reduced cost - eliminates the costs of printing documentation.

You will need to register to use the system using your email account. Please follow the instructions at the registration page or view the following videos if you require further assistance - Register as an applicant or Register as an Agent.

If you have any problems with the system, please email admin_planning@mdc.govt.nz or phone 06 323 0000. Or you can watch the videos below:

Please Note: If you are seeking to amend an existing resource consent you can email your application to planning@mdc.govt.nz.

Hard Copy Applications

Customers can continue to submit resource consents by email - planning@mdc.govt.nz or hard copy but will not receive the benefits of the online system.

Please bring your hard copy application to the Manchester Street Office. Or you can mail to Manawatu District Council, Private Bag 10001, Feilding.

Please note that a scanning and digitization fee of will be applied to hard copy applications - planning fees & charges.

For hard copy applications, please complete the appropriate application form below:

PLEASE NOTE: No lodgement payment is required for Land use and Subdivision Consents. Fees for these types of applications will be invoiced when the consent decision is issued. By submitting your application you accept and understand that there is an initial lodgement fee, with further charges if there is additional time spent in processing your application. In some cases, a development contribution may be payable as a requirement. Please ensure that you check Council's Fees and Charges to be familiar with the lodgements required and officers hourly rates.

What you need to know

You need to ensure that you provide enough information for Planning Officers to consider your proposal. If they require further information, this can delay your application.

In some cases, you should seek advice from a specialist such as a consultant planner. When looking for a consultant planner, it is recommended you satisfy yourself that they understand your project and the site and are also endorsed by a professional body such as the New Zealand Planning Institute as a resource management practitioner.

You are required to submit an assessment of environmental effects. Your assessment should detail any likely adverse effects of your proposal on the land or environment and how you might avoid, remedy or mitigate them. We expect that your assessment is in line with the scale of your project and you may provide any additional supporting information that you think is necessary for us to understand your proposal.

If you are making multiple resource consent applications in relation to the same project, lodge them all together. This will ensure all environmental effects are considered at one time and avoid delays in the application process.

National Environmental Standard for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil To Protect Human Health

The National Environmental Standard for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil to Protect Human Health (NESCS) is a nationally consistent set of planning controls and soil contaminant values. It ensures that land affected by contaminants in soil is appropriately identified and assessed before it is developed, and if necessary the land is remediated or the contaminants contained to make the land safe for human use.

If your land has been identified as having had, or is currently operating an activity on the HAIL list, then you will be required to provide a preliminary site investigation by a suitably qualified environmental scientist or other specialist. You can go to the Ministry for the Environment website which contains a user guide for the NES and the latest HAIL list.

If your proposal is to undertake an activity on the HAIL list, then a site management plan and site remedial plan may be required as part of your application.

As part of all resource consent applications you will need to complete a National Environmental Standard Assessment Form (PDF file, 457.7 KB).

The Wasteminz website contains factsheets that have been developed to help property owners understand their responsibilities under the National Environment Standard for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil to Protect Human Health regulations. These can be viewed on Contaminated Land Factsheets.

Affected Party Approval / Public Notification

Prior to applying for your resource consent, it is a good idea to speak with all your adjoining neighbours, and where possible seek their written consent using the Notice of Written Approval Form (PDF file, 622.7 KB).

Other parties who may have interests in the land or the proposal, such as iwi statutory bodies, and it is a good idea to speak with them prior to lodging your application.

The Planning Officers when assessing your proposal will consider what effects the proposal may have on people and the environment. If your proposal is identified as having an adverse effect on people and/or the environment then your proposal may be notified.

The effect of notification, allows those parties identified as being potentially effected being allowed time to put forward their views for consideration by the Consent Authority. This can add time and cost delays to your process.

If your proposal goes through the public notification process, affected parties will be notified, a sign may be placed on the property for a period of time, and a public notice will appear in the newspaper. This will give people the opportunity to make a submission on your application.

Discussing a proposal with your neighbours and getting their written approval before you apply for a resource consent can reduce the time it takes for your application to be processed. It can be more time consuming for change a resource consent application once you have applied for it.

How Long Will the Consent Take To Be Processed?

The Resource Management Act 1991 details the timeframes and procedures for determining resource consent applications. The time it takes for a resource consent application will vary depending on the complexity of the application, whether or not you have provided us with sufficient information, and staff workload. It would be wise to take this into consideration when you plan your development.

If your resource consent application is not put out to public notice, then Council must process it within 20 working days. If further information is required, the timeframes are put on hold until such time as the information is provided and assessed as being complete. It can also extend processing times, if necessary. Generally, non-notified applications can be approved under delegated authority and do not need to go to a Council Hearing.

If your resource consent goes out for notification, it will generally take up to 130 working days to process.

Notified applications take longer because hearings are usually convened.

If you, as an applicant or submitter, are unhappy with the decision, you have a right of appeal to the Environment Court.

Issue of Your Resource Consent

The Resource Consent may be granted to you with conditions that either mitigate or bring your application into line with the relevant District Plan rules.

The conditions are aimed at reducing potential effects and the protection and enhancement of the environment.

Council monitors the activity to ensure that it complies with these conditions.

Resource Consent Monitoring

Under the Resource Management Act 1991, the Council must monitor compliance with resource consent conditions and their impact on the environment.

If Council has granted a resource consent that is subject to conditions, then Council monitors the activity to ensure that it complies with these conditions.

Please note that a fee will apply for monitoring your resource consent - planning fees & charges.

You can assist by adhering to your consent conditions. Early consultation and liaison with Council's Monitoring and Enforcement Officer may avoid compliance problems.

Please note:

  • Not all consents will have conditions requiring monitoring
  • Resource consents needing monitoring will have an inspection
  • Costs may be incurred where additional site visits and inspections are necessary