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42B: Establishment of Environmental Protection Authority
or “A group was created to help protect the environment, but it doesn't exist anymore.”
You could also call this:

“The Environmental Protection Authority helps with important decisions about the environment and provides support to other groups working on environmental matters.”

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has several important jobs under the Resource Management Act. You should know that the EPA:

Makes suggestions to the Minister about matters of national importance.

Receives and handles important documents about big projects.

Gives advice to the Minister about these big projects.

Decides if some activities related to important national projects follow the rules.

Helps out special groups that look into environmental issues.

Gives planning advice to boards that investigate important matters.

Helps the Minister with tasks from other laws that use parts of this Act.

Assists the Minister with a quicker planning process if asked.

Gives technical advice about creating national environmental rules.

Does any jobs the Minister asks them to do.

Enforces certain parts of the law.

Helps the Chief Freshwater Commissioner with tasks about freshwater planning if the Minister asks.

Does any other jobs this Act says they should do.

All these tasks help make sure important environmental decisions are made properly and follow the rules set out in the law.

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Next up: 42CA: Cost recovery for specified function of EPA

or “The EPA can ask people to pay for help it gives them, but only for what it actually costs and what's fair.”
Next

Part 4A Environmental Protection Authority

42CFunctions of EPA

  1. The functions of the Environmental Protection Authority are—

  2. to make recommendations to the Minister under section 144A in relation to a matter to which section 142(1) applies:
    1. to receive matters lodged under section 145:
      1. to make recommendations to the Minister under section 146 or 149ZB in respect of a matter referred to in paragraph (a):
        1. to receive matters under section 149B(2):
          1. to make decisions under section 139 on applications for certificates of compliance for proposals or activities that are related to proposals of national significance:
            1. to provide secretarial and support services to—
              1. a board of inquiry appointed under section 149J:
                1. a special tribunal appointed under section 202:
                2. to provide planning advice under section 149L to a board of inquiry:
                  1. if requested by the Minister, to provide secretarial and support services to a person appointed under another Act to make a decision requiring the application of provisions of this Act as applied or modified by the other Act:
                    1. if requested by the Minister, to provide advice and secretarial and support services to the Minister in relation to the Minister’s functions under the streamlined planning process (see subpart 5 of Part 5 and Part 5 of Schedule 1).
                      1. to provide technical advice to the Minister on the development of a national environmental standard:
                        1. to exercise any powers or perform any functions or duties delegated to it by the Minister under section 29(4):
                          1. to perform the enforcement functions conferred by section 343F; and
                            1. if requested by the Minister, to provide secretarial and support services to assist the Chief Freshwater Commissioner in the exercise of his or her functions and powers in respect of the freshwater planning process; and
                              1. to exercise any other functions specified in this Act.

                                Notes
                                • Section 42C: inserted, on , by section 41 of the Resource Management (Simplifying and Streamlining) Amendment Act 2009 (2009 No 31).
                                • Section 42C(aa): inserted, on , by section 8(1) of the Resource Management Amendment Act 2011 (2011 No 19).
                                • Section 42C(ba): inserted, on , by section 8(2) of the Resource Management Amendment Act 2011 (2011 No 19).
                                • Section 42C(d): inserted, on , by section 8(3) of the Resource Management Amendment Act 2011 (2011 No 19).
                                • Section 42C(daa): inserted, on , by section 23 of the Resource Legislation Amendment Act 2017 (2017 No 15).
                                • Section 42C(dab): inserted, on , by section 23 of the Resource Legislation Amendment Act 2017 (2017 No 15).
                                • Section 42C(dac): inserted, on , by section 23 of the Resource Legislation Amendment Act 2017 (2017 No 15).
                                • Section 42C(da): inserted, on , by section 8(4) of the Resource Management Amendment Act 2011 (2011 No 19).
                                • Section 42C(f): replaced, on , by section 12 of the Resource Management Amendment Act 2020 (2020 No 30).
                                • Section 42C(g): inserted, on , by section 12 of the Resource Management Amendment Act 2020 (2020 No 30).
                                • Section 42C(h): inserted, on , by section 12 of the Resource Management Amendment Act 2020 (2020 No 30).