The purpose of the Plan is to enable the Council to carry out its functions under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA); promoting the sustainable management of natural and physical resources. The Plan meets the Council's functions under the RMA. Set out in section 31 of the RMA, these functions are:

• The integrated management of the effects of the subdivision, use, development or protection of land and associated natural and physical resources;
• The control of any actual or potential effects of the subdivision, use, development or protection of land, including:
  • The avoidance or mitigation of natural hazards;
  • Matters relating to hazardous substances and the use of contaminated land;
  • The maintenance of indigenous biodiversity.
  • The control of the emission and effects of noise;
  • The control of any actual or potential effects of activities in relation to the surface of rivers and lakes.

The Plan has been developed through an extensive process of identifying the significant resource management issues in the city. The Plan is also guided by other high order statutory planning documents such as the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement, Regional Policy Statement, Regional Plans and SmartGrowth.

The City Plan is split into Part A and Part B. Part A sets out objectives, policies and rules. These lay out the requirements for all subdivision, land use and development. Objectives describe the desired outcome for a particular resource management issue. Policies describe the direction to be taken to achieve the objective, and outline the considerations specific to the achievement of a particular objective. Rules implement the direction of the policies.

In Part B of the City Plan are the plan maps. Here, your starting point is to identify on the maps your site or the area where the activity is being considered (e.g. a house you want to build, a sign you want to put up). The maps help you determine what zone or zones the proposed activity falls within, and whether any special sections of the City Plan apply. Read more below on how to use the city plan maps. 

Now you can determine what status your activity will have in this zone. Activities are set out in the Table of Activity Status which is located at the beginning of each zone-based chapter (e.g. Chapter 14: Residential Zones). The status table will tell you if the activity you’re considering requires a resource consent (controlled, restricted discretionary, discretionary, non-complying activities), if it doesn’t (permitted activity) or if it’s prohibited altogether in that zone. 

When is a resource consent needed?

In most circumstances an activity that is not classified in the status table is identified as a discretionary activity by default. The activity status table will also tell you what rules apply to the activity you’re considering. 

For definitions of specific terms, go to Chapter 3.