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Natural Environment Bill

Foundations - Core provisions

14: Considering effects of activities

You could also call this:

"Thinking about how our actions affect people and the environment"

Illustration for Natural Environment Bill

When you are making decisions under this proposed law, you must think about how your actions affect people and the environment. You need to consider the good things that might happen because of this law, like how it helps people use natural resources. You also need to think about how your actions might affect air, water, land, and native plants and animals. You must not think about things that are already covered by the Planning Act 2025. You can think about other effects of your actions, as long as they are not covered by the Planning Act 2025. This helps you make good decisions that consider all the important factors.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1520806.

This page was last updated on 14 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Environment and resources > ConservationEnvironment and resources > Climate and energyGovernment and voting > Government departments

13: Procedural principles, or

"Make good decisions quickly and fairly"

15: Considering adverse effects of activities, or

"Thinking about how to reduce harm to the environment from activities"

Part 2Foundations
Core provisions

14Considering effects of activities

A person exercising or performing a function, duty, or power under this Act who is considering the effects of an activity on a person, people, or a natural resource,—
must give particular consideration to effects such as the following, as far as each is applicable:
1. the positive effect of enabling activities under this Act:
2. the effects on natural resources including air, water (freshwater, geothermal and coastal), land and soils, and indigenous biodiversity:
3. the effects of natural hazards associated with the use or protection of natural resources:
must not consider effects regulated under the Planning Act 2025:
may consider any other effect of the activity, subject to paragraph (b).