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Planning Bill

Enforcement and other matters - Enforcement - Enforcement officers

218: Authorisation and responsibilities of enforcement officers

You could also call this:

"Who can be an enforcement officer and what are their jobs and rules?"

A local authority can choose people to be enforcement officers. You can be an enforcement officer if you are an officer of the local authority or another local authority. The local authority can also choose other people to help with certain tasks, like dealing with excessive noise. The people who help with noise issues must have special licences or certificates. They must carry a warrant and identification with them when they are working. The warrant shows what powers they have as an enforcement officer. When an enforcement officer finishes their job, they must give their warrant back to the local authority. You must produce your warrant and identification if someone asks to see them. The local authority must give every enforcement officer a warrant that says what they can and cannot do.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1526738.

This page was last updated on 12 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Government and voting > Local councilsEnvironment and resources > Town planning

217: Duty to give certain information, or

"When an enforcement officer thinks you're breaking a rule, they can ask you for personal details."

219: Terms used in this section and sections 220 to 226, or

"What special words mean in this part of the Planning Bill"

Part 6Enforcement and other matters
Enforcement: Enforcement officers

218Authorisation and responsibilities of enforcement officers

A local authority may authorise the following to carry out all or any of the functions and powers as an enforcement officer under this Act:
any of its officers; or
any of the officers of any other local authority.

A local authority may authorise any person who is either or both of the following to exercise or carry out all or any of the functions and powers of an enforcement officer under sections 248 and 249 (which relate to excessive noise):
the holder of a licence as a property guard issued under section 34 of the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act 2010:
employed by a person authorised under paragraph (a) and who is—
1. the holder of a certificate of approval issued under section 40 of that Act; or
2. a person in respect of whom permission granted under section 37 of that Act is in force.

The local authority must supply every enforcement officer authorised under this section with a warrant, and that warrant must clearly state the functions and powers that the person concerned has been authorised to exercise and carry out under this Act.
Every enforcement officer authorised under this section who exercises or purports to exercise any power conferred on them by this Act must have with them, and must produce if required to do so, their warrant and evidence of identity.
Every enforcement officer who holds a warrant issued under this section must, on the termination of their appointment as such, surrender the warrant to the local authority.