Consulting with affected parties

There is no legal requirement on an applicant to consult with other parties in relation to a resource consent application. ⁷⁹⁰  Effective consultation with affected parties may, however, enable you to avoid considerable costs and delay later on down the track.

If possible, you should arrange to meet face to face with parties likely to be affected by your proposal to identify any concerns they may have. Be sure that you provide sufficient information so that the other parties can identify the likely impacts of the proposal. It is better to do this early on, before your plans are set in concrete, so that you have the opportunity to modify your proposal to address any concerns. People are likely to be more supportive of your proposal if they feel that you have made a genuine effort to take their views into account. If you are unable to resolve the concerns expressed, you will at least be forewarned about issues that are likely to be raised at any subsequent hearing, and can ensure that these are dealt with in your assessment of effects.

Last updated at 2:29PM on December 10, 2014