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15A: Restrictions on dumping and incineration of waste or other matter in coastal marine area
or “You can't throw away or burn stuff in the sea without special permission.”
You could also call this:

“Rules about letting harmful stuff out of ships or oil rigs into the sea, land, or air”

You are not allowed to release harmful substances or contaminants from ships or offshore installations into the coastal marine area. This includes discharging into water, onto land, or into the air. However, there are some exceptions:

You can discharge if it’s allowed by rules or a permit. These could be in regulations, regional plans, or a resource consent.

You can also discharge if, after the substance mixes with the water, it won’t cause noticeable problems. These problems include creating oil films or foam, changing the water’s colour, making bad smells, or harming sea life.

For air discharges, you can do it if it won’t be harmful, dangerous, or unpleasant enough to seriously affect the environment.

When it comes to discharging water from ships or offshore installations, you can do this if it’s allowed by rules or a permit. You can also do it if the discharged water won’t seriously harm sea life after it mixes with the surrounding water.

If there are regulations about these discharges, they overrule any other rules or permits, unless the regulations say otherwise. The regulations might even stop new rules or permits from being made.

You can’t use the exceptions about mixing and not causing problems if there’s already a rule or permit about that discharge. Rules might be made to stop you from using these exceptions.

Even if a discharge is allowed by these rules, it might still be controlled under the Biosecurity Act 1993 to manage pests or unwanted organisms.

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Next up: 15C: Prohibitions in relation to radioactive waste or other radioactive matter and other waste in coastal marine area

or “You can't put dangerous waste like radioactive stuff in the sea or on the coast.”
Next

Part 3 Duties and restrictions under this Act
Discharges

15BDischarge of harmful substances from ships or offshore installations

  1. No person may, in the coastal marine area, discharge a harmful substance or contaminant, from a ship or offshore installation into water, onto or into land, or into air, unless—

  2. the discharge is permitted or controlled by regulations made under this Act, a rule in a regional coastal plan, proposed regional coastal plan, regional plan, proposed regional plan, or a resource consent; or
    1. after reasonable mixing, the harmful substance or contaminant discharged (either by itself or in combination with any other discharge) is not likely to give rise to all or any of the following effects in the receiving waters:
      1. the production of any conspicuous oil or grease films, scums or foams, or floatable or suspended materials:
        1. any conspicuous change of colour or visual clarity:
          1. any emission of objectionable odour:
            1. any significant adverse effects on aquatic life; or
            2. the harmful substance or contaminant, when discharged into air, is not likely to be noxious, dangerous, offensive, or objectionable to such an extent that it has or is likely to have a significant adverse effect on the environment.

              1. No person may, in the coastal marine area, discharge water into water from any ship or offshore installation, unless—

              2. the discharge is permitted or controlled by regulations made under this Act, a rule in a regional coastal plan, proposed regional coastal plan, regional plan, proposed regional plan, or a resource consent; or
                1. after reasonable mixing, the water discharged is not likely to give rise to any significant adverse effects on aquatic life.

                  1. Where regulations are made under this Act permitting or controlling a discharge to which subsections (1) or (2) apply, no rule can be included in a regional coastal plan, proposed regional coastal plan, regional plan, or proposed regional plan, or a resource consent granted relating to that discharge unless the regulations provide otherwise; and regulations may be made prohibiting the making of rules or the granting of resource consents for discharges.

                  2. No person may discharge a harmful substance or contaminant in reliance upon subsection (1)(b) or (c) or subsection (2)(b) if a regulation made under this Act, a rule, or a resource consent applies to that discharge; and regulations or rules may be made prohibiting a discharge which would otherwise be permitted in accordance with subsection (1)(b) or (c) or subsection (2)(b).

                  3. A discharge authorised by subsection (1) or subsection (2), regulations made under this Act, a rule, or a resource consent may, despite section 7 of the Biosecurity Act 1993, be prohibited or controlled by that Act to exclude, eradicate, or effectively manage pests or unwanted organisms.

                  Notes
                  • Section 15B: replaced, on , by section 6 of the Resource Management Amendment Act 1997 (1997 No 104).