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Natural Environment Bill

Natural resource permits - Applying for natural resource permit - General requirements

135: Permit authority may return incomplete application

You could also call this:

"What happens if your permit application is incomplete?"

Illustration for Natural Environment Bill

If you apply for a permit, the permit authority can send it back if it's incomplete. They can do this within 10 working days if your application is missing information required by section 130(2)(b). They must give you written reasons for sending it back. If the permit authority says your application is incomplete, you can ask the Planning Tribunal to review this decision under clause 15 of Schedule 10 of the Planning Act 2025. You can do this if you think the permit authority made a mistake. The Planning Tribunal will look at the decision. If you fix your application and send it back, it will be treated as a new application. This means it will be looked at again from the start. You will need to wait for a new decision on your permit application.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1521098.

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

Topics:

Housing and property > Land useGovernment and voting > Local councils

134: Application relating to area where group seeks customary marine title, or

"Applying for a permit in an area where a group is seeking marine title rights"

136: Priority of competing applications, or

"What happens when people apply to use the same natural resource at the same time?"

Part 4Natural resource permits
Applying for natural resource permit: General requirements

135Permit authority may return incomplete application

A permit authority may, within 10 working days after an application was first lodged, determine that an application is incomplete if the application does not include the information required by section 130(2)(b).
If the permit authority decides that the application is incomplete, it must immediately return the application to the applicant with written reasons for the decision.
A person may apply to the Planning Tribunal under clause 15 of Schedule 10 of the Planning Act 2025 to review a decision that an application is incomplete.
If an application that has been returned under this section is lodged again with the permit authority, that application must be treated as a new application.