You can meet with Council staff to discuss your proposal before you submit a resource consent application. We can help you through the resource consent process, discuss any potential issues and review your proposal before you finalise it. This meeting may save you time and money later.
Resource Consents Help Desk
If you have a basic question about a simple project, you may only need an email or phone call with our Resource Consents Help Desk. The Resource Consents Help Desk provides 15 minutes of free assistance. Please email rmaconsents@kaipara.govt.nz or call via the Customer Services Centre - 0800 727 059
Pre-application meeting
You can ask to meet with planners to discuss specific proposals where we can provide you with information and guidance to ensure you have a good understanding of what needs to be done before you lodge an application. Detailed feedback on your proposal will be provided.
For standard applications you are required to pay when you book a meeting. Costs related to this service include, but are not limited to, administration, research, meeting time, writing and distributing notes. Refer to our Fees and Charges.
For more complex proposals it may be appropriate for a planner to meet with you at Council and/or on site to get a thorough understanding of your proposal and to discuss potential issues, effects on the wider environment and specific persons, and any necessary mitigation that may be required. Depending on the type of proposal it may also be appropriate for other Council staff/specialists to attend the meeting and provide you with feedback to assist with your design/development process.
For comprehensive pre-application meetings we suggest that you provide the Council with plans and any relevant documents as early as possible to allow circulation to all meeting attendees, and no later than 5 working days prior to the meeting.
You’ll be charged at the current staff hourly rates as set out in the Council fees and charges, including actual time spent on meeting preparation, attendance and post-meeting follow-up.
Request a pre-application meeting
You will need to complete the pre-application meeting request form and email it to rmaconsents@kaipara.govt.nz. Your request will be assigned to a planner and you will be contacted to make necessary arrangements for the meeting.
Meeting format
You can bring your advisors (planning, traffic, surveying and so on) with you to meetings.
To make the most of the meeting:
- Please apply with plans and any relevant documents or otherwise send any information you have as soon as possible before the meeting so we have time to consider it;
- be open and complete with the information you provide to help us provide quality advice;
- let us know who you're bringing with you, and if there are any particular issues you’d like to discuss;
- depending on your proposal type, you may request that other Council specialists attend the meeting, such as a development engineer, traffic engineer, landscape architect or ecologist. Alternatively, the Council planner will discuss with you whether other specialists should attend. This is to make sure we can answer your questions and are able to raise any issues or concerns early on.
Decisions that can't be made at the meeting
At a pre-application meeting the planner may give preliminary advice, however please be aware that they cannot confirm if your resource consent:
- needs to be notified;
- has any affected parties;
- will be granted.
We regard the content of all pre-application meetings as confidential. However, if we receive an Official Information Request (OIA), this information could be released. This is assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Formal decisions cannot be made during or on the basis of the pre-application meeting, and any representations made by the Council are not legally binding.
