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Resource Management Act 1991

Standards, policy statements, and plans - National direction - National policy statements

45: Purpose of national policy statements (other than New Zealand coastal policy statements)

You could also call this:

“National policy statements explain important rules for taking care of New Zealand's environment”

National policy statements are important documents that outline goals and policies for matters of national importance. These matters relate to the purpose of the Resource Management Act.

When deciding whether to create a national policy statement, the Minister can think about several things:

  1. How using, developing, or protecting natural and physical resources might affect things.

  2. New Zealand’s responsibilities and interests in looking after the national or global environment.

  3. Anything that affects or could affect a nationally important structure, feature, place, or area.

  4. Anything that affects or could affect more than one region.

  5. How new technology or processes might affect the environment.

  6. Anything that could have a big impact on New Zealand because of its size or how it changes communities or natural and physical resources.

  7. Anything that’s important to New Zealand’s environment because it’s unique, can’t be reversed, or could have very big effects.

  8. Anything important related to section 8 (Treaty of Waitangi).

  9. The need to find ways (including economic tools mentioned in section 24(h)) to achieve the Act’s purpose.

  10. Any other matters related to what a national policy statement is for.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM233344.

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Environment and resources > Climate and energy
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“Local councils must make sure their rules match the country's environmental rules”

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Part 5 Standards, policy statements, and plans
National direction: National policy statements

45Purpose of national policy statements (other than New Zealand coastal policy statements)

  1. The purpose of national policy statements is to state objectives and policies for matters of national significance that are relevant to achieving the purpose of this Act.

  2. In determining whether it is desirable to prepare a national policy statement, the Minister may have regard to—

  3. the actual or potential effects of the use, development, or protection of natural and physical resources:
    1. New Zealand's interests and obligations in maintaining or enhancing aspects of the national or global environment:
      1. anything which affects or potentially affects any structure, feature, place, or area of national significance:
        1. anything which affects or potentially affects more than 1 region:
          1. anything concerning the actual or potential effects of the introduction or use of new technology or a process which may affect the environment:
            1. anything which, because of its scale or the nature or degree of change to a community or to natural and physical resources, may have an impact on, or is of significance to, New Zealand:
              1. anything which, because of its uniqueness, or the irreversibility or potential magnitude or risk of its actual or potential effects, is of significance to the environment of New Zealand:
                1. anything which is significant in terms of section 8 (Treaty of Waitangi):
                  1. the need to identify practices (including the measures referred to in section 24(h), relating to economic instruments) to implement the purpose of this Act:
                    1. any other matter related to the purpose of a national policy statement.

                      Notes
                      • Section 45(1): amended, on , by section 19 of the Resource Management Amendment Act 2003 (2003 No 23).