Frequently Asked Questions

Possibly. This is dependent on your proposed activity. Let us know if you’re also applying to a district or city council for a consent (such as earthworks or a subdivision consent) as part of your proposal. If your application needs to be publicly notified, we may have to hold a joint council hearing to decide on your application.

Yes. You can ask someone else, such as a consultant, to apply for your resource consent on your behalf. They should be listed under the name and address for service on the GWRC resource consent application form. We will deal with this person throughout the consent application process. Before you sign the application, make sure you read everything the consultant has prepared for you.

You can help reduce costs and avoid delays in processing your application if you:

• Utilise our pre-application advice service
• Fill in the application forms fully and include all the required supporting information;
• Make sure you apply for all the resource consents needed for your activity;
• Provide any additional information we ask for quickly and with the required detail;
• Consult everyone who may be affected by your proposal and get written approval, if possible; and
• Try to resolve any submissions that oppose your application (if it is notified).

If you want to keep using your consent, you will need to apply for a new consent. There are some important timeframes for you to be aware of when lodging a replacement application:

• If you apply at least six months before your consent expires you can continue to use your expired consent while you wait for your new consent to be decided.
• If you apply three to six months before your consent expires, GWRC has the final say about whether you can keep using your expired consent while you wait for your new application to be decided.
• If you apply less than three months before your consent expires, you cannot continue to operate under your existing consent if this expires before your new application is decided. 

If you don’t use your consent within five years of it's approval, it will lapse and you will not be able to use it. There may be instances where conditions on your consent specify a shorter period than five years. If you don’t want your consent to lapse, you can apply for an extension of lapse time – but you need to do this before your consent lapses.

Additionally, if you start using your resource consent then stop using it altogether for five years or more, we can cancel it.

If you no longer need your resource consent, you can surrender it. However, you will still be liable for any past breaches of consent conditions. You may also be required to complete any works the consent authorises. Once you’ve surrendered your consent you can’t reactivate it, and you need to apply for a new consent if you change your mind. 

To surrender your consent, download our  Surrender of Permit form. (PDF 108 KB)  

You can transfer your consent to any other person who wants to undertake the same activity at the same site. If you have a water permit, you can transfer it to someone at a different site. Until your consent is transferred, you’ll be liable for any ongoing monitoring charges. So if you sell your operation or property, contact us and we’ll arrange the transfer. The processing charge for transferring a consent is $149.50. 

To transfer your consent to another person at the same site, download our  Change of resource consent holder form (PDF 187 KB) .

You can apply to GWRC to change, or cancel, any of your resource consent conditions, except for the expiry date. If the changes you propose will have only minor effects on the environment, your application will be processed on a non-notified basis. The initial fixed application fee for a non-notified application is either:

• $816.50 (incl. GST) for administrative changes only; or  
• $1679 (incl. GST) for any other changes to consent conditions.

To change conditions on your resource consent, download our  Application to change or cancel resource consent conditions form (PDF 189 KB) .

If you a not satisfied with a decisions made by GWRC, you can object to certain decisions under Section 357 of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). Common decisions made by GWRC that you may object to include:

• The rejection of your application under Section 88(3) of the RMA
• The lapsing or cancellation of your consent under Section 125 and 126 of the RMA
• The decision made by a Council officer to grant/refuse a resource consent application
• Additional charges (that exceed initial fixed application fees) under Section 36(3) of the RMA

Any objection must be made in writing and received no later than 15 working days after a decision was made.

GWRC recommends that, prior to lodging an objection, that you talk through your concerns with us as any issues may be able to be resolved without the need of lodging a formal objection. 

You should carefully read all conditions on your resource consent. Your conditions may require you to:

• Notify us immediately prior to commencing works
• Take photographs during any construction activity and submit them to us
• Adhere to a particular methodology of works or management plan
• Submit monitoring information or reports to us

If you are unsure about any aspects of your consent conditions, it is important that you contact us. 

Yes, you can look on our public mapping viewer for Consents and Environmental Monitoring, and if you would like any information about an existing resource consent, please contact us at notifications@gw.govt.nz with your enquiry and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. You can quote the file number (WAR/WGN) of the consents you are interested in.