Regional Councils

There are currently 11 regional councils in New Zealand with boundaries broadly coinciding with water catchment areas. Regional Councils are generally responsible for environmental and public transport matters. Regional Councils are subject to the Local Government Act 2002 and have a key role under the Resource Management Act 1991, which charges them with the integrated management of the natural and physical resources of a region. Regional Councils prepare regional policy statements and regional plans to assist the Council to carry out its functions under the RMA which include: ¹³²⁴

• Integrated management of the natural and physical resources of the region;
• Ensuring there is sufficient development capacity in relation to housing and business land;
• Soil conservation;
• Water quality and quantity  (freshwater and seawater);
• Air, water and land pollution;
• Biodiversity conservation;
• Marine and freshwater ecosystems;
• Natural hazards (avoidance and mitigation);
• Contaminated land (identification and monitoring);
• Activities in the coastal marine area (in conjunction with the Minister of Conservation);
• Introduction of plants into water bodies;
• Allocation of water (freshwater and seawater) and contaminant discharge capacity; and
• Strategic integration of infrastructure with land use.

Regional Councils also have a general duty to monitor inter alia the state of the environment of the region, the efficiency and effectiveness of policies and methods in policy statements and plans and the exercise of resource consents within the region. Regional Councils must also make available to the public information enabling the public to be better informed about the role of the council and information enabling the public to participate effectively under the Resource Management Act. ¹³²⁵

For a full list of regional councils and their contact details click here

Last updated at 12:22PM on January 4, 2018